Assassin's Creed: Bladesong
by WhiteZephyr
Summary: The sequel to Agent of Altair. Suna travels to Masyaf to see what she can do about the Templars guarding it. But, once again, Ezio finds her, and brings her along on his trip for knowledge, and more of her past is revealed. Takes place during Revelations.
1. Prologue

Assassin's Creed:

Bladesong

Prologue

_**1509**_

__I guess I was kinda selfish, leaving Ezio to clean up after the Borgia. But, then again, I had stuff to deal with. Once again, I examined the letter that'd been sent to me by the leader of the Assassin's Guild in Constantinople, Yusuf Tazim. It told me that Masyaf had been overrun by Templars during the time that I'd gone.

I groaned and then shifted the weight of the little bag that was slung over my shoulder—the one with my belongings. I had all my weapons with me. Equipped, of course. My silver longsword, my silver shortblade, my double hidden blades, throwing knives and hidden gun. Not to mention a few extras that I'd gotten on my journey.

I was wearing what I always wore: white Assassin robes with a red streak here and there, only, for the first time in a while, my hood was lowered. I allowed my short brown hair to actually breathe for a bit, while my golden eyes scanned the docks of Roma. I needed a charter, and I needed it immediately.

With no luck for a few hours, I was grumpy. The only thing that'd really help in that kinda of a situation would be a good brawl.

And I knew exactly where to go.

Within about an hour of navigation through the tunnels of Roma, I came upon the Mercenary barracks, where there was sure to be a fight going on. I entered the barracks quietly and placed my bag on the table before I went downstairs. The putrid smell of blood and ale swam through the air, where many Mercenaries were circled around an arena, cheering on their favourite man. I sighed in relief, feeling more at home than I had in a while.

"Can I help you?"

I looked behind me to see Bartolomeo d'Alviano, the man who I'd saved the day of Ezio's birth, and whose last name I'd "borrowed".

"Si," I said. "I'd like to fight."

Bartolomeo grinned. "Well, I would not want you to get your pretty face beaten to a pulp, perdere, but it is your decision."

"I'd like to fight," I repeated sternly.

Bartolomeo nodded and shouted loudly to one of his Mercenaries. The man laughed but welcomed me into the ring.

"You have to remove your weapons and armour," Bartolomeo told me. "The rules apply to everyone, scusa."

I ignored the perverted looks I got from the Mercenaries and handed over my weapons and robes. I only had my leggings on, but luckily I had an undershirt on that Bartolomeo said I could keep on, much to the disappointment of the Mercenaries.

"Who is man enough to fight this young lady?" Bartolomeo cried dramatically. I sent a silent thanks to whoever decided that the theatre was not for him.

Four men came forward, each trying not to stare at my chest. I was close to hitting them already.

"Ah! Si, si! Gentlemen, place your bets!" Bartolomeo went to tally, and when he was finished, it looked like the Mercenaries favoured their men better than they did me. They'd learn soon enough.

"And now…" Bartolomeo grabbed the bell and rang it. "Fight!"

The four men ran at me. One leapt at me to tackle me to the ground, but I lazily brought up my foot and kicked him hard in the face. He landed in a heap before me. A second Mercenary jabbed at my gut, while a third tried to take out my legs. I deflected the second man with my elbow and then jumped, dodging the third man and kicking the second's face in the process. I landed on top of the fourth man's head and smashed him into the ground, then backflipped and caught the third man's fist before it hit my back. As the first man started to rise, I backed-up until I was in front of him and let the third Mercenary attack me. I ducked, and the third hit the first in the face, knocking him out. I swept my legs under the third Mercenary and tripped him, then stood up and slammed my foot onto his chest. He was definitely winded, and none of them were getting up.

The room was quiet for a second before cheers and moans of loss erupted through the small room. Bartolomeo gave me my share of the winnings and smiled proudly.

"Ben fatto, amico mio!" Bartolomeo exclaimed. "Tell me, what is the name of the young lady who defeated four of my best men in under ten seconds?"

"It was that long?" I frowned. "Maledizione. I'm getting rusty." Nonetheless, I smiled and shook Bartolomeo's hand firmly. "My name is Sofia. I work closely with Ezio Auditore." _Best__to__leave__my__last__name__out__for__a__bit__…_ I thought.

"I thought I recognized those robes," the older man said with a smug look on his face. "How is Ezio?"

"Fine. Just taking care of the last bit of Borgia influence," I told him. "Best not to tell him I've been here, okay?"

Bartolomeo shook his head. "I cannot do that. If he comes looking for you, I will not deny that you've been here, but I can answer honestly that I do not know where you are going."

I nodded. "Va bene. You're right." I quickly put all my clothes back on and equipped my weapons. "I just needed to vent for a moment. When I get frustrated, I feel like I need to kill something."

"That usually happens to me as well. Nothing like beating people up, eh?" Bartolomeo smiled and handed me my bag, which he'd seemed to have brought down from upstairs. "I got word that Ezio's on his way here to look for you. Best you be on your way, Sofia."

I took the bag and nodded. "Grazie, Bartolomeo. See you another time then." He waved as I trudged up the stairs. "Addio, Sofia! Safe travels!"

I walked out into the cool night air and sighed. _Altair,__I__think__its__time__I__pay__you__a__visit._


	2. Falling Towards the Sky

Chapter One:

Falling Towards the Sky

_**1193**_

__"Get lost! We do not need you here!"

Another fist slammed into my face, but I couldn't move. Two boys were holding me still, so it was all I could do to face them.

"Three thirteen-year-old boys… picking on a… seven-year-old girl?" I mused. "The odds don't seem… to be in my… favour…"

Mohammad slapped me this time. "Shut-up, rabble! You are nothing more than trash! I have no idea how you got into our Order!"

His friends, Talim and Damir, laughed and encouraged Mohammad to hit me again, which the boy did. By now, I was sure my face was bleeding, and my nose might've been broken And then Mohammad pulled a knife, and that's when I decided that it was time to stop him.

I shot my leg out and hit Mohammad in the sweet spot, and then elbowed Talim in the nose. With one of my arms free, I brought it around and slammed my fist into Damir's face.

I put some distance in-between us and raised my fists, ready to fight. I decided not to do what I'd been doing for the past three years, but instead use whatever I had learned from Altair and Malik during the last few months. It was time to see if it'd be at all useful.

Damir was the first to me. He jumped at me, as if he was going to tackle me, so I turned sideways and shoved my elbow into the dead centre of his face, then kicked his ribs when he was lying on the ground to encourage him to stay on the ground. Talim got up and grabbed me from behind as Mohammad raised the knife. I brought my leg out again, this time kicking the knife from Mohammad's hand, and then I slammed my head against Talim's with enough force to break his nose. Talim released me, and I brought my fist around and connected with the side of Mohammad's head. Lastly, I thrust my elbow back and hit Talim in the sternum, sending him flying a few feet away.

There was a bit of blood on my robes, mostly around the collar, but it was evident that I'd won this fight, and for me, it was an incredible bolster of my confidence in my abilities and myself.

I heard Mohammad laugh a bit. "You are only proving my point, you idiot! Just wait until the Grandmaster hears of this!"

"Then you will have to admit to your own part in this fight," I said. Mohammad's face contorted in rage as he realized that. "To save you the humiliation, I will keep my mouth shut about this. Next time, maybe you should pick on someone your own size, Mohammad."

"I will kill you one day, Suna!" Mohammad blurted. "One day, I swear it!"

"Perhaps, but you will first have to best me in a fight."

_**1452**_

__"Sofia!" Vanni exclaimed excitedly. "How good it is to see you!"

Vanni embraced me in a quick hug, and was quickly followed by his brother Mario. I hugged them back, ignoring all the blood on my clothes from my enemies.

"How was it?" Vanni asked. "I cannot believe that you killed all those Templars! It has been a long time since I have seen something like that!"

"Liar. You go out all the time." Mario clapped his younger brother on the shoulder. "Do not think, little brother, that I am so stupid not to see what you have been doing around Firenze."

Vanni frowned, but only slightly. "So, Sofia, what will you be doing?"

"I am going to explore Firenze for a time. I wish to reconnect with the city." I ruffled Vanni's hair. "I will see you later, but for now, I want to be alone."

The look in Mario's eyes told me that he would take care of Vanni while I was gone. He proved it when he whispered something to Vanni as the younger man was going to argue with me. So, I set off into Firenze, exploring the streets, the colours, and the stones.

I changed out of my Assassin robes and hid them in an abandoned well. _There, that should keep them for a while,_ I thought with a smile. I headed deeper into Firenze, where I came upon a quaint little bakery. Curious, I entered the shop. Many people were there, eating all sorts of pastries and breads.

"Hard to believe this place opened only six days ago," one man remarked to himself.

_Six days? This place seems like it is quite popular…_ I stepped in a bit more and saw that there was only one person behind the counter—a woman, probably eighteen. She noticed me and smiled.

"Salve, friend. What can I get you today?" she asked.

I smiled back. "What do you have?"

She pointed to the menu. "Anything there."

I observed it for a moment before I decided to get some milk and a piece of bread that had melted cheese inside of it. She went to the back for a moment and then presented me with what I ordered, and I gave her the necessary florins to pay for the treat. I then sat by the window and raised my glass to the chair opposite me, where no one was sitting.

"Here's to you, Altair," I said, and then downed half the glass. "I miss you, father."

"I did not think that someone would be making toasts of mourning in my shop," the woman who had previously been behind the counter said. "It is strange, to say the least. If I may ask, to whom were you toasting to?"

I smiled and gestured to the chair opposite me; one that she took respectfully. "My father," I told her. "One day, he came to my rescue, and ever since that day my life has been nothing but exciting." I held out a hand. "I'm Sofia d'Alviano. And you are?"

"Maria de' Mozzi," she replied, taking my hand and shaking it gently. "I own this bakery. Or, at least, it owns me, as it preoccupies all of my time."

"Well, from what I can tell, it is a popular place. You are doing well." I took a bite of the pastry and smiled. "And this is all very delicious."

"Alas, I do not want to stay here," Maria said quietly. "I just… I want to see the world. I don't want t simply grow old and die without having any adventure at all."

I laughed. "Adventure comes in many forms, Maria. Just wait—you will have your own soon enough. Of that, I am sure." I finished up the bread. "I think I will return tomorrow with some friends. You will be here?"

Maria nodded. "Count on it."

_**1193**_

__"Suna, where did you get those bruises?" Maria asked me.

"What bruises?" I asked innocently.

Maria pursed her lips. "_Suna_…"

I shrugged. "I must have fallen."

"Yes. And pigs can fly." Maria put a hand on my shoulder. "Suna, what happened? I know you have not been getting along with some of the other Apprentices. What is wrong?"

"Nothing," I answered in a steady voice. "Nothing is wrong. I'm fine, Maria."

"I will be the judge of that." Maria took my hand and led me into the towering fortress, into her chambers where she sat me on the bed. "Now, sit and stay there. I need to examine the damage of your 'fall'."

I waited patiently as Maria dabbed a wet cloth against my wounds and would sometimes comment about "kids these days". I took to examining the paintings on her wall, each one a portrait of a place she'd been. It ended with Masyaf, though there was room for more.

Maria saw me looking at them and smiled. "Life takes you many places when you grow. I am just sad to see that so many of the places life took me were controlled by the Templars."

"I still don't understand," I admitted to Maria. "Templars are the enemy, so why don't we just attack them in full force and make them surrender?"

"The Templars are spread out all across the world," Maria explained. "They have many bases, and I only ever saw the one in London."

I paused. "Were _you_ a Templar?"

She nodded. "I was, yes. And then Altair showed me truth through words and actions. He is the kind of man one would want to follow for their entire lives." Maria smiled and patted her stomach, where her baby was. "And the kind of man one would want to settle down with."

I reached out and touched the bump and felt the kick of the baby. "He's going to come soon," I said.

Maria raised a fine eyebrow. "… 'He'? What makes you think that?"

"I can just tell." I rubbed her belly for a second longer. "Am I free to go?"

Maria nodded. "Just don't get into any fights with the wall or the ground. I don't want to see you lose again."

I stopped just for a second, turned back, and smiled. "Who says I lost?" I smiled mischievously and hurried out of her room, back to the training courtyard.


	3. Alone in a Brotherhood

Chapter Two:

Alone in a Brotherhood

_**2012**_

__Pain has been something that I've had to deal with for my entire life. Eight-hundred twenty-six years, to be precise. I've had to watch the people I'd come to love die, whether it be of old age, or a death as an Assassin.

But having to watch somebody die in front of my eyes and being able to do nothing about it… that was a new kind of pain, and it was one that I hoped would leave me, hopefully quicker than the ringing in my ears.

I could hear voices that I couldn't place. I was constantly trying to connect them and recognize them, but it seemed like too much effort. My head was killing me, and I kept having to close my eyes, or else the colours that were drilling into my retinas would probably explode my eyes. Not that I was exactly sure, but I was being cautious.

Not like it'd help.

My name is Suna Ibn La'Ahad. Most commonly known as "Samantha Warner" these days. More than eight-hundred years ago, I became Altair Ibn La'Ahad's adoptive daughter, and an Assassin, fighting for the freedom of humanity against the Templar Order, who sought to enslave it.

I trained with Altair for ten years before he introduced me to the Apple of Eden. It preserved my life, and now I am tied to that Piece of Eden, and I'm affected by all of the Pieces. I live as long as the Apple lives. Or maybe, if it is destroyed, I will actually age.

_**1193**_

__Training had become something that took me over. All of the Assassin Apprentices in Masyaf—save for myself—were born into the Brotherhood. I wasn't. A few months ago, Altair recruited me for reasons that escaped me. In Masyaf, I was a bit of an outcast, but I didn't mind. I had never gotten along with children my own age, even when I lived in Damascus. I preferred to speak with adults, and so (as I was a courier in Damascus) I also became a pretty good haggler. The merchants of Masyaf seemed entertained every time I came to buy something with money I'd earned doing odd jobs around the village.

When it became apparent to Altair that Mohammad and I didn't get along, we were separated and trained in different grounds. Sure, there was still the occasional fight, but it wasn't anything serious.

At the end of the year, the Assassins got together and celebrated a year well done. In truth, I'd never seen anything like it. The usually serious expressions on everyone's faces were replaced by smiles as they drank and played games. It was… strange. Seeing the Assassins celebrate as if there were no more Templars around made me wonder how people could go through an entire year without being as carefree as they were now.

I went down to the training ring and saw that many of the Apprentices were challenging Altair to duels, each one of them picking the way they fought the Grandmaster. I watched in awe as he bested each of them gracefully. And then the Master Assassins went into the ring and fought him. Though they gave him more of a challenge, Altair disarmed them and defeated them.

I think that was when Malik snuck up on me. "Your mouth is open," he remarked with a rare smile.

I quickly shut it. "No it's not."

"Well, it was." Malik grabbed the tip of my hood and took it off of my head. "You shouldn't wear your hood so much. Altair has worn a hood since he came into this world, and now he's paler than an Englishman."

"I heard that, Malik," Altair said from the arena. "I guess I match my wife then."

"Yes, you _do_ have a woman's stubbornness!"

Altair laughed. "That was dry! Are you losing your touch in your old age?"

The two quarrelled for a while longer before the Apprentices demanded another round with the Grandmaster. Excusing himself, he went to fight them off once more. I studied the way Altair moved so I would know how. I didn't ever learn by word of mouth—I always learned by doing or examining someone who was doing what I wanted to do.

It also gave me much grief whenever I was learning with other Assassins.

_**2012**_

__"Ugh… My head…" I groaned quietly as my hand rubbed my head gently. "No more binge drinking. I swear…"

"That'd probably explain why you're so screwed-up. Too much binge drinking."

"It was Bill's idea…" I muttered to the voice, and then realized whose it was. "S-Shaun?"

"Unfortunately." My eyes focused, and there stood Shaun. He had a darker sweater on than usual, but other than that he was totally the same. "You were out for a few days there. Thought you were going to end up like Desmond, actually."

He lent a hand and helped me out of the Animus. "Desmond? What do you mean?"

"Desmond's in a bit of a coma right now," Shaun explained. "I'm not entirely sure what happened, actually. I was talking for one second, then Desmond touched the Apple, and I saw him and Lucy lying on the ground, and Lucy's blood was pooled around them…" Shaun rubbed his eyes. "And then we—Rebecca and I—saw you. You were lying on the ground, your head was bleeding, and you were mumbling something in Arabic. That's when Bill came." Shaun frowned. "Actually, didn't you just mention something about Bill…?"

"Long story," I said. "Is Lucy okay? Where is she?"

Shaun suddenly looked sad. "She's… not here anymore, Sam. Lucy's… dead."

My hand found the armrest of the Animus to support myself. _God, no… Lucy…_

"I went to her funeral," Shaun said. "I was the only one who did, because Bill was here with Rebecca, who was monitoring Desmond's brain signals, and then she was looking after you as well."

That pain in my heart made me want to scream, but I knew I couldn't. I was too much in shock. "Shaun, where's the Apple?"

"Bill's got it," Shaun told me, jabbing a thumb in the direction of a hallway. "He's examining it right now."

I started down the hallway at a pace I was pretty sure wouldn't make me want to stop because my head hurt so damn much. I opened the double-doors ahead of me and saw Desmond in the Animus, with Rebecca typing away at a computer and William Miles examining the Apple of Eden.

I strode up to the old man and quickly snatched the Apple away. "This thing is dangerous! No one who doesn't have the proper DNA should be toying with it!" I found a tiny chest that seemed to fit with the Apple and placed it inside, then felt a hand on my shoulder. I glared at Bill, who was glaring back.

"You should be a bit more grateful to us, Samantha," he said. "We saved your life."

"I wouldn't have died anyway," I replied icily. "There really was no point, Bill."

Bill released my shoulder, smirking. "I guess I forgot about that part."

"Try not to, next time." I narrowed my eyes. "If there even is a next time."

"Sam!" Rebecca got up and hugged me tightly, an embrace which I returned. "I thought you were gonna follow Desmond! I was worried!"

"Pfft. Me? C'mon, I bleed a bit and you guys're running around like headless chickens!" I held Rebecca at arms length and did my best to smile. A pathetic attempt, really. "I'm sorry about Lucy, Rebecca. I know you guys were close."

Rebecca nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah… Well, I guess we lose Assassins all the time…"

"But not usually so close." I playfully punched her shoulder. "Let's just do our best. For Lucy."

Rebecca smiled and we locked fists. "Hell yeah. For Lucy."


	4. The Unlikely Hero

Chapter Three:

The Unlikely Hero

_**1194**_

"Apprentices, can you tell me why the Assassins are choosing subtlety over dominance?" Malik asked the group of tiny Assassin Apprentices. A group that I was a part of.

When no one raised their hand to answer, I did, hoping I wouldn't look stupid in front of all the boys. Malik raised a questioning eyebrow, but motioned to me.

"I heard that this fortress was a sign of Assassin arrogance, and that we should be spread out across the world instead of one focused place. We are choosing subtlety over dominance because we have become too overconfident of our abilities," I answered.

Malik smiled. "Well done, Suna. Yes, the Assassins have learned a valuable lesson from arrogance. But you can always be redeemed by hard work, and a bit of luck." Malik smiled mischievously. "In the Grandmaster's case, it was _a lot_ of luck."

"I heard that, Malik!" Altair called from the window above the entryway. "Stop exaggerating!"

Malik rolled his eyes as the Apprentices and I snickered. "Go look after your son, Altair! Maria's gone down to the village!" Altair's eyes widened and he hurried away, looking for baby Darim. "Maria's not really in the village," Malik whispered to us, and we burst out laughing.

When we'd gotten our laughter under control, Malik dismissed us so we could play. I headed to the training arena and continued my training. I knew that I had to prove something to the boys, since I was the only girl in the Order besides Maria, and I was not born into the Brotherhood.

"Malik likes to bug me," Altair said. I hadn't noticed him, so I jumped in surprise. "Still, I guess I deserve it." I bowed quickly, but Altair only laughed at me. "Suna! Stop acting so formal! Do not worry!"

"I can't help but be respectful to the Grandmaster of our Order," I replied smartly, straightening up. "What do you wish of me?"

Altair put a hand on my head. "Suna, I was hoping you could aid me. I need to find some things in the market, but I am busy with…" His eyes became distant. "I am busy with many important things for now. Could you go in my stead? I will give you some money to get the things I need, and a list."

I nodded. "Yes, I can help."

Smiling, Altair patted my head. "Thank-you, Suna. I've just been so busy."

"Anytime, Grandmaster."

_**1452**_

__"Seriously! This place is excellent!" I said to the two boys at my side. "Maria is an amazing baker! You will love the place!"

Vanni grinned. "I think you are exaggerating, Sofia."

I poked Vanni's chest. "Taste for yourself, idiota! You will see!"

Mario chuckled and opened the door into Maria's bakery. "I guess I am the only one excited that there's something as nice as this in Firenze. I may need to ask father about one of these for Monteriggioni."

"You'd definitely get more people coming to that merda buco."

Mario laughed and found us a table, but Vanni wasn't moving at all. I followed his staring eyes to—.

"Vanni has una cotta for Maria," I said to Mario bluntly as I sat down.

"What makes you say that?" Mario asked, looking at his brother.

I jabbed a thumb in their direction. "Look at the way they're looking at each other! You'd think the world would slow down just for them!"

Mario smiled. "Let him have his fun. He always gets outshone by his elder fratello when it comes to women."

"Oh, really? Then how come I haven't seen you with a woman? Ever?"

"You must be implying that you are not a woman, oh uno brillante," he quipped.

"I don't count!" I snapped. "We've already discussed that I'm off-limits!"

"I know, I know," Mario said. "Still."

I shook my head. "Whatever, stupido."

_**2012**_

__I guess it really doesn't matter how long it's been when it comes to Walter. The past few weeks with Rebecca, Shaun, Desmond and… Lucy, really made me think about him more. Yeah, there was Michael, but it felt more like puppy-love than anything else. With Walter… it was real.

I didn't even know why I was thinking about him at a time like this. You know, with the whole, "world-hangs-in-the-balance" thing going on. But still, I was.

_God, what the hell's wrong with me? _I wondered, resting my head in my hands. _He's been dead for two-hundred years! It wouldn't have worked out, anyway! So stop thinking about it!_

I was in total conflict with myself. On one hand, I felt like I'd repeatedly kicked a puppy (a.k.a. feeling terrible), and the other was trying to console myself.

Like that'd ever worked.

I quietly stood up and walked to the balcony of the apartment we were currently in. I was pretty sure we were gonna move soon, to keep the Templars off our tail, but I still liked this place. It had a nice view of New York City, and it was nice to know I was close to my foster-brothers, Ryan and Tyler.

So, why was I thinking about Walter? So far away from England, and that time period…

"You're thinking about that boy again, aren't you?" Bill asked as he joined me on the balcony.

I bit my lip and nodded. "It doesn't matter how old I get, I guess. Still, if I hadn't gotten drunk with you that one night, you wouldn't've known about him." I shrugged. "My fault."

"Great. Nice to know you missed me, Samantha."

I smirked. "Bill, I don't miss the assholes in my life. Hell, I'm glad I outlived Henry. It's just the people that I loved that I miss."

"Like I said, nice to know." Bill tapped the handrail. "He's dead. Deal with it."

"You are _so_ lucky that you married into the range of my protection," I told Bill. "If you hadn't, I would've killed you by now."

"I thought my advice helped you?"

"Only helped me to avoid you."

Smiling, Bill straightened up and started to walk away. "I know what's on your mind all the time, Samantha. So stop thinking about him, and start thinking about how we're going to stop the Templars."

"I've been thinking about that for more than eight-hundred years, Bill," I muttered under my breath, laying my head against the railing. "At least my time with Walter gave me a break."

_**2000**_

___"Extraction!"_ the radio screamed. _"We need extraction now! Abort the mission!"_

I leapt out of the jet and dived through the air, the wind whipping at my face and threatening to remove my hood, but it stayed on miraculously. Aiming for the isolated oil rig, I finally deployed my parachute and glided easily to the slanted roof of the management building. I disconnected my parachute a few feet above the roof and slid down, letting the slant take the brunt of my fall.

_"Reinforcements are already advancing on your position!" _the jet pilot told the team. _"Try to make it to the extraction point!"_

_"What d'you think we've been doing for the past few minutes?"_ Jared snapped, who was leading the team on the rig.

The team consisted of eight people, with Jared as the leader. The second-in-command was Matilda, and then there was the rest of the team: Connor, Greg, Lisa, Shepard, Jamie and Deena. Each Assassin was skilled, and one of the best teams in the Order. The fact that they were compromised spoke volumes.

I heard the sound of guns and followed it, keeping quiet as I could while placing tiny explosives. Tiny, but packed full of a kick.. I saw that the team were being corralled into an area, where they would be surrounded by the army of Templars on the rig. I activated my cloaking device and slowly snuck around, to where a heavily armoured Templar was holding a huge machine gun. The team was standing back-to-back, each with a gun in their hands. They were looking for the reinforcements that were being sent.

"Attention Assassins!" the Templar with the machine gun yelled. "You're surrounded! Surrender now, and we won't blow your goddamn heads off!"

Jared showed the Templar his middle finger. "Bring it, asswipe!"

"Then die!"

I activated my hidden blade and leapt out of the shadows, my cloaking device shutting off as I moved. My hidden blade had no centre of the blade, but was instead replaced by bolts of electricity that was good for frying my enemies. My other hidden blade was completely original, and from the Crusades. With two Templars dead, and a shocked audience, I took it as an advantage. I leapt up and kicked a Templar in the face, then back-flipped until I reached the Templar with the machine gun. I punched him in the face then pressed the button to turn the machine gun on, and then kicked it so it spun around and shot all the Templars on the platform we were on. The other Templars quickly took cover, and the Assassins on the ground took that as their cue to leave. They dived off of the rig and onto the waiting jet, where I followed them quickly. Unfortunately, the Templar who had previously held the machine gun grabbed my ankle and followed me onto the jet.

I hit the jet hard, the breath temporarily knocked out of me. The Templar laughed manically and tried to pin my arms to the jet.

_"We're takin' off!"_ the pilot yelled into my radio. "What the hell're you doing?"

"Just a bit sidetracked!" I replied as I brought my leg up and kicked the Templar hard in the face. "I'll be there in a bit! Just fly slow for now!"

_"Roger that!"_

I got to my feet and found my balance as the jet started to move. The Templar got up and pulled a dagger from his coat, then wiped some blood from his mouth.

"Die, Assassin!" he roared, and leapt at me.

I activated my hidden blades and parried his blows while trying to keep my balance. He was falling all over, but didn't once fall off. I managed to slip the dagger into the middle of my new hidden blade and twist it, disarming the Templar. The dagger flew uselessly through the air, with the Templar's eyes watching it.

_"We've gotta go!"_ the pilot screamed. _"We have fighters comin' at us!"_

I stabbed the Templar in the gut, but he grabbed my arm and forced me to fall off of the jet with him. By some miracle, I latched onto the wing of the plane and the Templar had slid off of my blade, and was now holding onto my ankle for dear life.

"If I die, you come to Hell with me, Assassin!" he screamed.

I started to slip off of the wing, so I scrambled to shake my leg and get him off of me. As the Templar started to slip, I took a breath.

"Rest in peace!" I yelled at him, and released the wing.

I grabbed onto the open door of the jet just as I passed it. The Templar had released me, believing we were both to die. He slammed into the edge of the engine and spun off through the air, never to be seen again.

"Go! Go! Go!" I screamed into the radio as I pulled myself into the jet and slammed the door shut.

I felt the jet hit its top speed just as I took a breath of relief. The team of Assassins, already seated in the leather chairs, were all staring at me.

"Who the hell are you?" Jared asked.

"You reinforcements," I replied. "Did you at least get the information we needed?"

Lisa held up a tiny computer chip. "Of course we did."

"Great. Nice to know that I'm not gonna blow up a rig that we needed." Seeing the confusion on their faces, I held up a detonator and pressed the red button. In the distance, we heard a massive explosion. "So, think this'll get on the evening news?" I asked as I let my hood fall to my shoulders. "I hope so. It always makes me feel so good inside."

Everyone else in the jet followed my example and removed their hoods. "You're crazy," Connor said, to which everyone nodded.

Smiling, I replied, "I wouldn't be in this business if I wasn't." 


	5. The Wheels of Time and Life

Chapter Four:

The Wheels of Time and Life

_**2012**_

__"We caught some boy snooping around the building," Bill announced to me. "By 'we', I mean Rebecca and myself. He tried to get away, but we caught him and sedated him. He's currently in your room, Samantha."

I smirked. "Great. I'll just sleep on the floor then."

"When we were trying to catch him, Bill called him a Templar," Rebecca said. "But he yelled back that he didn't know what we were talking about."

"Well, a Templar rarely tries to hide what they are," Shaun observed. "How old was this kid?"

"Dunno," Rebecca replied, shrugging. "He looked about Sam's age, though."

"Wonderful. Another idiot teenager." I shot Shaun a glare, which he gracefully returned. "Look, if he's not a Templar, then we're going to get it for kidnapping. We need to find out who he is, and fast."

"I think Rebecca should do it. I feel most comfortable around her, so she's easy to open up to," I said. _Lucy could've helped, if only…_

"I vote Sam!" Shaun exclaimed. "She needs to do something besides sulk!"

I glared at Shaun again. "I'm not sulking!"

"Bill told us how you were feeling about Walter," Rebecca admitted. "Sorry, but we have to get your mind off of Walter."

I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at Bill. "I really, really, _really_ hate you, old man."

"Yes, well the feeling is mutual." Bill continued to search for the chest that held the Apple (since I hid it while he wasn't looking). "You know where he is. He should be coming to by now, so hurry up."

I stood up out of the chair and walked down to my room. The door was closed, and there was no movement on the other side. I was about to open the door when I heard a groan. I took my hand from the door handle and instead leaned against the door, sighing.

"Ugh…" The voice definitely belonged to a teenager, as it seemed to be deep enough. "My head…"

"I dunno what kind of sedation they used on you, but it doesn't sound enjoyable," I remarked. "Just take it slow when you're getting up."

I heard the person on the other side hesitate. "… Who's there?"

"First things first: are you thirsty?" I asked.

There was a pause, but I decided that was because the boy nodded, and then realized that I probably couldn't see him. "A bit hungry too, I guess."

"Then I'll grab you something. We can talk about names later. Just hold tight." I went to the apartment's makeshift kitchen and picked out some fruits and vegetables, as well as some tea. For some reason, tea was always calming to me. When I returned, I almost knocked on the door, but then realized that he couldn't open it anyway, since it was locked. Luckily, there was a small hatch that I could put stuff through. "I'm back. Here—this should do."

I left the food in the hatch and saw two hands slowly take their refreshments. The hands were pale and had a few scars on them, but it told me very little about the person in my room.

"Thank-you," he said as I closed the tiny hatch. "I take it that I'll be staying here for a while?"

"Just until we figure out who you are," I told him. "If you're a Templar, that means you won't be leaving here."

I heard him sigh. "Look, I'm not a Templar. That Order died out hundreds of years ago. Don't you think you're overreacting?."

I shook my head. "Dude, you have no idea."

"Dude…?" I heard him mutter under his breath. "I can tell you what I know, but it isn't much."

I leaned against the door casually. "What d'you mean?"

"All I remember is waking up and seeing some sort of… contraption. It slid into this strange thing I was lying on, and these men in red shirts grabbed me, shoved me into some sort of vehicle, and then dumped me not far away from this building." He groaned. "I wandered for a bit. I admit; I was scared of all the things I saw. It is not anything I'm used to. And then this old man and young woman were running at me, screaming 'Get the Templar!' at the top of their lungs. I ran, but it was like my body wasn't reacting to my commands, and they caught me." I heard him sigh and slide down the length of the door, until he was sitting on the ground. I mimicked him. "And then I woke up here, with only memories and a name. Everything else is so strange… Except for the tea. It's nice."

I chuckled. "Sounds like a pretty far-fetched story."

"I know. I don't believe it either."

"Some good things come out of not being sure though," I said. "I'll be back later. Enjoy the food."

_**2000**_

__"Go away… Sleeping…" I mumbled as the light flicked on.

"We need to talk," I heard Jared say.

"About what?" I asked, yawning.

Jared sat on my bed. "About who the hell you are and how you're not dead."

"Hm?" I sat up in the bed and stretched. "I don't get it."

"You only said that you were our reinforcements," Jared explained. "Unless someone upstairs was extremely confident in your abilities, they wouldn't have just sent one Assassin to back-up an eight person team."

"Don't question the good things in life," I advised. "Now leave. I need sleep. I stayed up late making those bombs."

_**1199**_

__"Remind me, Suna… how were we captured?" Abul asked me.

"You ran recklessly into a brawl and got us found-out," I replied with a scowl. "I told you not to run into it, but you never listen to me!"

A guard slammed the shaft of his spear into the side of my head. "Be silent, prisoner!"

I spat some blood out of my mouth and glared at Abul. "Thank-you," I mouthed to him.

He shrugged, but stayed silent. I stared up at the guard, my eyes furrowing. He looked at me uneasily and then twisted his spear around, aiming the tip at my head.

"Stop staring at me!" the guard ordered. When I didn't comply, he thrust the spear down.

I twisted out of the way just enough so that the ropes that tied my hands together would be cut. My hands free, I grabbed hold of the spear and flicked it upwards, hitting the guard's face. Before he could scream, I thrust the spear into his chest and released it, letting him fall.

"Well, I can honestly say that I thought you were about to die, Suna," Abul said. "Can you release me?"

I pulled the shortblade from the sheath on my back and cut Abul's bonds. "They are stupid for not taking our weapons, are they not?"

Abul nodded, rubbing his wrists. "Now, let's get the Lionheart!"

We climbed the ladder that ascended into the battlefield of Chateau Gaillard, where Richard the Lionheart's men were fending off bolts from crossbows. Abul and I snuck through the tents, using the shadows of the night as cover. I stopped Abul when I saw a red-headed man emerge from his tent, without any chainmail.

"That's him!" I told Abul. "Now, let's go!"

Just as I was making my move, Abul grabbed hold of my wrist and stopped me.

"Don't move," he advised. I felt the prick of a knife in my side, but it hadn't penetrated my skin.

"What is the meaning of this, Abul?" I snapped quietly, trying not to draw any attention to us.

Abul smiled. "Before you were put in the dungeons with me, the Lionheart gave me a choice: kill you and report your failure to the Grandmaster, or die here with you." Abul narrowed his eyes. "My choice is clear. I do not wish to die this day. Not when I have my life unlived."

I grabbed my shortblade as Abul stabbed his knife into my side. I gritted my teeth and brought my blade around, slicing his hand right off. I grabbed his dismembered hand and used it to pull the knife from my side, grunting in pain, and then tossed them both to the side. I glared at Abul, who was holding up his left hand, as if to stop me.

"S-Suna!" he begged. "I only wanted to live!"

I sliced his other hand off. He screamed in pain, but it was muffled by the sounds of battle. I kneeled beside him and put my knee on his chest.

"Please…!" he gasped.

"The one thing I hate above the Templars…" I said, as I raised the shortblade above my head. "… are traitors."

"No—!"

I plunged my shortblade into Abul's neck and stood up, holding my bleeding side. I wiped some sweat from my forehead as I realized that I might not finish this mission. _No! I told Maria that I was going to be back! I promised Altair, Darim and Sef as well!_

I slowly made my way around the camp, trying not to trip because of my blood loss. Finally, I saw Richard, and I approached him slowly.

"Ah, so you've finally come, Assassin," Richard said as he saw me approaching. "You're younger than I thought. And a girl. You are unexpected."

"I have come for your life," I told him. "You have committed crimes against humanity that you may never fully serve, and have made an enemy of the Assassin Order."

Richard nodded. "Of this, I am aware. Come, let us have a civil chat before you fall over." I was reluctant to, and stayed standing. Richard took his sword and tossed it into the darkness. "I will have someone bring you water and bandages."

I did not believe him. Richard rang a bell, and immediately four servants came rushing towards him. As soon as they saw me, they cringed, but I wasn't sure if it was because of my wound, my bloody shortblade, or the fact that they recognized my robes. Maybe all.

"Get bandages and water immediately," Richard commanded.

The servants nodded and rushed off. Richard sat at a table and motioned for me to do the same. Tentatively, I approached him and sat across from him.

"You are unused to your victims wanting to talk before they die?" Richard asked.

"I have never been sent on a mission before this one," I admitted. "You turned a brother against his Order, and I was forced to kill him."

Richard shook his head. "That was not my doing. In fact, that boy was the one who suggested your death."

"Forgive me, but I am unable to believe you."

"I am not asking you to." A servant came back and put two jugs of water on the table. I eyed it suspiciously. "What? Do you think I would poison you so that I may survive?"

I frowned, and down the glass, but it hurt my side. Finally, the servants returned with bandages, and Richard ordered them to tend my wound. They wrapped the bandages carefully underneath my outer-robe, but above my inner-robe.

"What is it you want?" I asked Richard. "You are my enemy, and you know why I have come, yet you are doing this for me."

Richard ordered the servants away. "Let's just say that I owe an Assassin for doing me a favour. William of Montferrat was killed in Acre eight years ago, and he was a thorn in my side. Now, I've lived life, and I want to see Heaven." Taking one last swig from his tankard, Richard smiled. "Whenever you're ready, Assassin."

I got up out of my seat and handed Richard a tiny pill. "My Grandmaster told me that if I found a worthy enemy, I was to give him this. Swallow it, and your death will be a slow, painless one. It will give you time to say good-bye to whoever you need to. Unless you would rather I kill you now?"

Richard took the pill and swallowed it, then took another quick drink to prove he had. "I have some things I must tend to yet. I thank you, Assassin."

"Think nothing of it."


	6. The Road to Masyaf

Chapter Five:

The Road to Masyaf

_**1511**_

I snuck up behind the guard and covered his mouth, then stabbed my hidden blade into his back. I dragged him away, trying my best not to drop him and get the floor bloody. When the body was hidden, I grabbed my satchel and lifted it onto my left shoulder, then continued into the village not far from Masyaf.

"It really has changed…" I said absently. "A few more miles. Nothing I can't handle."

I rounded a corner and saw a bald man with armour like the Byzantines. You could just tell from the look that he was Turkish. He was ordering his men around angrily, as if they'd failed or done something not according to his plan. I waited in the shadows for a time before a guard came running to him.

"Leandros!" the guard gasped. "The Assassin… Ezio Auditore! He's heading to Masyaf!"

Leandros walked fast towards a carriage and jumped inside. The guards clambered on top and started to drive. Carefully, I timed my jump and grabbed hold of the back of the carriage.

_Brings back memories, _I thought with a smile. _Didn't I hitch a ride when I was going to see Ezio for the very first time? Ah, how time flies._

The carriage was slowing, so I dived off and hid behind a rock. The guards seemed to notice the shift in the carriage, but they were too focused on Leandros.

"Hand me that bow!" Leandros ordered.

A guard gave him a bow and he fired an arrow. I heard a grunt, just as Leandros handed the bow back to the Byzantine guard. Leandros approached the cliff, and his guards followed. I knew who Leandros was looking at.

"Hey! Over here!" a guard yelled, just as Ezio began his fight.

I sprinted out of cover and into the fray, unleashing my hidden blades on my enemies. Unfortunately, my satchel was stabbed, and someone pulled on it. I hit the ground, taken off-balance, and was surrounded instantly.

Leandros was standing over me. "Two Assassins!" he said, as if he was gleeful (but his face didn't show it). "This day gets better and better! The Mentor of the Assassin Order, Ezio Auditore! And now, this… girl."

The guards grabbed my weapons and tied ropes around my wrists tightly. Then they took my hidden blades from me. _Damn. They've learned from a few centuries,_ I thought with a frown.

"Take this one to the dungeons! When you capture Ezio Auditore, put them together. I am sure they will want to spend their last moments with each other."

_Leandros, you're a sick bastard._

_**1205**_

___A whole year since Chara died… _I rested my head against the cool stone wall in my room. _How time flies._

I heard a knock at my door. I answered, and allowed Sef to come in. "Yes? What is it?"

Sef hugged me around my waist. He was still a bit small. "I am sorry, Suna. I wish there was something I could do."

I smiled and rested a hand on top of Sef's head. "Do not worry about me, brother. How did you even know about today?"

"Father told me," Sef replied. "I just didn't want to say nothing."

"I thank you, Sef. What say we get something to eat in the market today?"

Sef nodded. "That sounds fun!"

I waked beside Sef after grabbing my coin purse and headed to the village with him. He always loved the markets, and spent most of his time there, like myself. Sef chose some breads that he wanted, and I haggled with the vendor for a while before we settled on a decent price. I handed Sef the bread and bought one for myself, then we sat on a bench together and enjoyed our snack.

"What's it like?" Sef asked suddenly.

I looked at him curiously. "What is what like?"

"Being an older sibling."

I smiled and ruffled Sef's hair. "It is a gift that I know better than to squander. But do not worry, Sef; being a younger sibling is a gift as well."

"Really?"

"Really."

My attention turned from Sef to the main gates of the village, where some excited shouting had started. From the cheers, it looked like a brawl.

Sef sighed. "Again? This is the fourth time!"

"What do you mean?" I asked my brother.

Sef gestured to the gates. "This man comes to the village and starts fights, claiming to be stronger than Assassins. Yet, each time father comes down from the keep to see what is going on, he runs away, and we can never find him!"

I frowned and popped the last of my bread into my mouth. "Sef, stay here. I'm going to see what I can do."

Sef wanted to complain, but I didn't stay to listen. I hurried to the crowd, where a makeshift ring had formed. Inside of the ring was a man in his early thirties, who was punching a few of the older Apprentices.

"What is going on here?" I snapped impatiently.

The Assassins stopped immediately. "Master! W-We were just—!"

"Brawling," I finished for them. "You were brawling. I have eyes. I can see. I am just curious as to why."

The man held up a fist. "A Master Assassin? Then you will probably be more worthy to fight than these idiots!"

"I do not enjoy it when the Assassins are being insulted, friend," I said. "I will not stand for it. I accept your challenge."

The three Assassins left the ring, leaving only me and the man. I raised my fists and circled him, as he did me. As soon as we heard an eagle sing, we ran at each other. Fists flying, we were both an even match, though he managed to hit my gut a few times, I got him in the face just as many. I grabbed his wrist and spun it, but he knew what was coming and brought his foot up. I managed to block with my other arm, but now we were deadlocked. He quickly threw out his remaining leg and tripped me, but he fell in the process. My hood fell off as I fell, and my head slammed against the gravel. I ignored the pain, but I was not quick enough to get up. The man was on top of me, holding my hands to the ground. He smiled in triumph, but it faded as he focused on my face.

"Ada?" he gasped.

I brought my leg up and kicked him in the back of the head. He rolled over me, and I took that chance to get up. I felt blood start to fall from the back of my head, but I still tried to ignore it.

"Get up and fight!" I ordered.

The man was staring at me, and was about to say something when the crowd quickly dissipated, making way for Altair.

"What is the meaning of this?" Altair shouted.

The man got to his feet, but it seemed my kick had dazed him. Two Assassins were on him immediately, and had ropes tied around his wrists within the next minute.

"A fight," I told him as the three Assassins who had previously fought the man hung their heads. "To defend the honour of the Assassins."

Altair looked at me, but said nothing. His gaze turned to the stranger. "Are you the one who has been picking fights with my Order?"

The man frowned, but straightened. "I am," he said.

"Why pick a fight with us?" Altair asked.

"To show that you Assassins aren't real warriors. That anyone can defeat you. But I did not expect…" We all looked at the stranger intently, and he was staring at me again. "I see now that this person standing before me is not the person I knew. It was simply a shock to see a face so similar to hers."

"And who was this person?" one of the previously brawling Assassins asked.

"Ada," the man answered. "My sister, Ada Akhir an-Nahr."

The next thing I knew, Malik was beside me. "But… the Akhir an-Nahr family betrayed the Assassin Order years ago, and joined the Templars!"

"The Order betrayed us!" the stranger snapped. "And now, we are reduced to nothing! Our heirs gone, my sister dead, and her children killed in cold blood! This would not have happened, had the Assassins not killed my grandfather!"

Malik looked at me, but his question was directed to the stranger. "Who were Ada's children?"

I didn't want to hear the answer, but I knew I had to.

"Chara Akhir an-Nahr, and another unnamed daughter."

Altair frowned. "And you are?"

He raised his head proudly. "I am A'hd, of the Akhir an-Nahr family. I have come to show you all what strength my family has!"

_**2012**_

__"So, when will I be able to leave?" the boy asked.

I shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe when we get the information we want."

I heard him sigh. "I don't remember much. I just have a few names in my head." He leaned against the door. "I am not even sure which one is mine. I think whatever those people did to me—Abstergo, did you say?—they really did something with my head."

"What're the names you remember?"

He was quiet for a moment. "The only one that comes to mind right now is… Mason."

I slid my hand through the hatch. "Nice to meet you, Mason. I'm Sam."

He took my hand and shook it gently. "Likewise. So, we're on a first-name basis now?"

"Don't make me say that you can only call me 'Miss Warner'."

"Oh, I wouldn't mind. Under the right circumstances, of course."

Rebecca called me, so I released Mason's hand and said good-bye. But I couldn't help but feel a little better than I had a few hours ago. I guess it was just nice to have someone around who didn't know about my "condition".

Time would tell.


	7. The Eye of the Storm

Chapter Six:

The Eye of the Storm

_**1511**_

__"I can honestly say that this didn't go as I'd planned," Ezio said to me. "Then again, when does anything I plan go as I wish it to?"

"Si, you are notorious for plans going wrong," I agreed readily.

Ezio looked at me in surprise. "Gravemente?"

"No. I mean, you managed to cause the fall of the Borgia. You actually plan very well."

We were both silent for a time before Ezio cleared his throat. "Sofia, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Ezio sighed. "I have come because there was a letter addressed to my father, a year before my birth. It spoke of a library in Masyaf that held all of Altair's knowledge. You could say I am here on a pilgrimage."

I nodded. "You could say that I am on a pilgrimage as well. Just visiting family."

"You have family still here?"

I shook my head. "No. All of my biological family are gone now."

Ezio tapped his foot against the ground. We heard the guards coming, and I guess that was prompt for Ezio to ask one last question.

"Sofia, I know you have said that you promised Altair that you would guard his family…" He paused to see me nod. "I wonder why it is then, that you would be guarding a family that is not his? I know we are not descended of Altair."

I smiled as the guards opened the door to our cell. "Let's just say that I took an interest in Domenico Auditore, who was the Apprentice of Dante Alighieri when I met him. He was stubborn but wise, like you. And he had this look about him that reminded me of Sef, my brother."

Ezio and I quieted down as the guards approached and dragged us to the top of the tower, where only a few hundred years ago I had taken my first Leap of Faith. I saw two nooses, one in a guard's hand and another in Leandros' hand. I knew that I would survive, but I started to worry for Ezio.

Just as I thought of him, Ezio shook off the guards and started walking towards the place where I had taken my first steps as a Master Assassin. He walked right by Leandros, who pushed him as an incentive to keep him moving.

I got to my feet as well and walked to the plank at Ezio's left. Ezio was staring at the plank to his right, and then looked at the mountains. The guard behind me took my hood off just as Leandros did to Ezio. Leandros fastened to noose around Ezio's neck just as I heard an eagle's cry.

_Hm. Altair's watching us,_ I thought with a smile as the noose went around my neck.

I heard a sudden sound that sounded like it was close to crushing bone. I took that as my cue. I kicked backwards and smashed the guard in the face. He was still desperately holding onto the rope. I ran off of the plank and used my momentum to swing me around. I landed on top of the plank on my back, but now the guard was holding onto the rope, desperately trying to climb back up. I guess I forgot that I had a noose around my neck.

I struggled against the weight of the guard. The men still in the tower were trying to grab onto my legs and use me to pull that guard up. I kicked them all away. I saw out of the corner of my eye that Ezio was doing almost the same thing I was, if not reversed. A guard came at me, his sword raised, so I quickly rolled out of the way and he cut the rope. The guard who had been holding it screamed and fell, smashing into a wooden beam before he died.

I got to my feet and saluted the guards playfully before I jumped off of the plank backwards, catching up with the falling Ezio quickly. I turned the rest of the way around so my feet were facing the ground and finally landed on an old wooden platform. Ezio looked up at the planks and then pulled his hood up.

I laughed and mimicked him. "Ezio, let's get our weapons back. I feel so weird without my shortblade or my hidden blades."

Ezio smiled. "Yes, let's."

_**1205**_

__"You want to prove your family's strength by attacking Assassin Apprentices?" Altair repeated, and then shook his head. "A'hd, I am sorry to tell you this, but your family has actually already proven their strength to me."

"Then I have shown you the mistake your Order has done!" A'hd practically cheered. I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes as I saw him do so. It was obvious now; I was his niece. The very knowledge of it made me want to stab myself. "Then I will tell you now, Altair, that you cannot defeat my family!"

"Why would I want to defeat your family?"

Altair and A'hd argued for a time before Malik put his hand on my shoulder. "I give you full permission to hit him if you really want to. If you don't, I will."

"Believe me; I want to." I looked to Altair once A'hd finally took a breath. "Grandmaster, would you permit me to finish this fight?"

A'hd smiled, his teeth showing blood. "You want the Templar family of Akhir an-Nahr to show you your place, child?"

I frowned. Altair sighed. "Do what you will, Suna."

The Assassins holding my uncle released him and backed away. I handed Malik my hidden blade, my shortblade, my sword and my throwing knives.

"So there is no treachery," I said to A'hd.

I met A'hd in the ring again and raised my fists. He wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled.

"What makes you so determined to fight me, girl?" he asked.

"I have to prove that it doesn't matter what name you carry," I told him. "It only matters who you are, and what you believe in. What you fight for."

"Admirable. But you won't beat me!"

He threw a punch that I dodged, but I didn't see his leg come up. He kicked me in the gut hard and then sped towards me, slamming his head against mine. I back-flipped and then ran at him, jumping into the air. I kicked him hard in the face and then dropped to the ground, sliding my legs under his. He fell hard on his back, and scrambled to get back up. I ran at him again and punched him in the gut. He caught my other fist and brought his knee up into my stomach, and then he punched me in the side of the head. My ears rang painfully, but I managed to get out of his hold.

"Maybe if I kill your Grandmaster, you'll fight for real!" A'hd sneered.

It felt like something inside of me snapped. I threw a punch with my left hand, and he caught it, but I was counting on it. My right fist slammed hard enough into A'hd's head that he was sent flying into the gathered crowd, totally knocked-out.

Altair stepped-in quickly. "Take A'hd to the dungeons," he ordered the Assassins. "All of you, there's nothing to see here! Go back to what you were doing!"

The crowd dispersed quickly. A'hd was dragged up the hill towards the keep as Malik came to me with my weapons.

I realized when Malik put my weapons beside me and his hand on my shoulder that I was kneeling on the ground holding my gut.

"I see he got in a few good hits," Malik commented. "But that was still quite the punch. I haven't ever seen you hit that hard."

"He threatened to kill Altair," I said. "I just… I didn't like it at all."

"Probably because you have truly come to see him as your father."

I hesitated, but I knew he was right. "That man… A'hd…"

"I recognized the names he gave," Malik told me, "and so I know who he is."

"That means that I come from a family of Templars…" I clenched my fists. "Maybe it would have been best if I wouldn't have known a thing about my real parents."

"You would have found out eventually. I know you, Suna; you would have wanted to know."

I nodded in agreement. Of course, Malik was right. I would have wanted to know eventually. A'hd was just a lucky convenience.

"Suna Akhir an-Nahr…" I laughed. "I like Suna Ibn La'Ahad better."

Malik laughed and helped me to my feet. "I prefer it too. Altair needs a level-headed woman like you in his family, anyway. Maria is a crazy woman, after all!"

"I HEARD THAT!" Maria screamed from the keep.

Malik looked from the keep to me. "How the hell did she do that? She's practically a mile away!"

"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE WOMEN OF THE IBN LA'AHAD FAMILY!" Maria shouted from the keep.

Malik shook his head. "Witch…" he muttered.

"I HEARD THAT TOO, MALIK AL-SAYF!"

I couldn't hide my laughter, painful as it was.

_**2012**_

__"I spy with my little eye… something that is…" Mason paused. "Stiff."

"I swear to God, if you're talking about anything but a door…"

"You got it!" Mason laughed. "Sam, you have such a dirty mind!"

I rolled my eyes. It'd been one day since Rebecca had made me come and talk to Mason. Yesterday, he'd sounded so much older, but now he sounded around my age (or the age that I appeared to be, at least). It was like his personality couldn't decide how it wanted to act. Then again, Mason seemed to have more of a grip on everything now. Not like yesterday, when he'd said all he could remember were names and being dropped-off not far from the building we were in.

"Only because I can't tell what you're thinking," I explained. "I can usually tell if people are being sarcastic or not by their faces."

"Then you should come join me," Mason said. "It's pretty cozy in here. Not something I'd expect when getting kidnapped."

"Well, don't get too comfortable. You're staying in my room."

"Oh… Oops." My eyes widened. "Maybe you should stay out of your bathroom for a while…"

"You bastard! What the hell'd you do?"

Mason was laughing his ass right off. That's when I realized that he was just joking.

"Ugh. You suck…" I muttered. "And to think I came to visit you because I thought you were lonely!"

"I was, but I'm not now. I like your visits." I heard his laughs tone down until he wasn't laughing anymore. "The, uh… the pain in my head is still there, but it's duller, so that's a plus."

I nodded. "That's good."

"I can remember a few more things," he continued. "I remember the name on the van that dumped me not far from here. Like… Abstergo or something."

_Abstergo? Right, that machine must've been an Animus!_

"Do you remember what that machine showed you?" I asked.

Mason paused. "I remember… I remember seeing two things at once. I couldn't really get a grip of either. It was like seeing something overlapping the other. I remember this bald guy with a white beard saying that I was looking at memories." He chuckled. "How crazy is that? A machine that shows memories. What memories? Because I didn't recognize either one."

I sighed. "Gimme a sec, Mason. I'll be back."

"No prob. I can wait.'

I went into the main room, where everyone was watching over Desmond. As soon as I saw Rebecca, I dragged her out of the room, despite her protesting.

"Mason—the guy who's in my room right now—says he remembered being in an Animus, and that it was Abstergo who dropped him off in New York!" I told her.

She paused. "Abstergo dropped him so close to here, so it seems kinda weird…"

"I'm positive that they don't know where we are right now," I said. "But the thing is that they're using the Animi with other people. I think they might be using the imprints in their main Animus to… maybe to train the Templars to use Assassin tactics!"

Rebecca's brow furrowed. "That's probably something they'd do. The fact that they dropped Mason off probably means that he almost pulled a Subject 16. I could examine him and see if he's showing any signs. But I want you in that room with me if I do, because we don't know if he's gonna pull a Daniel Cross, either."

I nodded. "Don't worry; I'll be there."


	8. Blizzard Attack

Chapter Seven:

Blizzard Attack

_**1205**_

__I stood in front of A'hd's cell, my arms crossed and my hood lowered. A'hd frowned when he saw me.

"Come to gloat, have you, Assassin?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Just come to see the man who is a failed Templar."

"How dare you? I'll have your head—!"

I ignored him. "You're obviously a failed Templar. Why were you not wearing your colours? Why did you not have any weapons? And why didn't you have any other Templars come? One man who cannot even beat a Master Assassin is hardly enough to take on every Assassin in Masyaf, where we are strongest."

A'hd looked away from me, but whether it was out of shame or he just didn't want t speak to me anymore, I did not know.

"The thing I hate more than Templars are traitors," I said. "People who turn on their beliefs because their life is in danger, or they just want an easy way out."

"The Templars are right in their way, Assassin!" A'hd spat viciously. "They just did not want to attack Masyaf as much after Robert de Sable was killed by your Order! I did not agree with them!" He glared at me. "Who are you to have a face like my sister's? You, Assassin, should just die and leave that face to Ada!"

I kicked the bars of the cell. A'hd backed away, probably realizing that he'd crossed the tiny line I made for him.

"My _mother_ was Ada, you fool!" I snapped angrily. "Chara was my _older_ _sister_, and she was killed by _Templars_ in Constantinople on this day _last_ _year_! It's because of the Templars, and the people who hold the power to change things but do nothing, that I became an Assassin! So I could fight for those who could not!" I glared at A'hd. "The Grandmaster, Altair, became my father when I was seven, and now I have an entire family. I am not an Akhir an-Nahr. I am Suna Ibn La'Ahad. And you are a Templar. I'll have nothing to do with a man who is such."

A'hd's eyes were wide. "You… are the second child of Ada and Talal?" I frowned and turned away from my uncle, and I started to walk away. But I stopped once he said, "Your cousin, Ahdara, was with me at the gates. She hid once I started fighting."

"My cousin?" I repeated.

"My daughter."

I frowned. "I thought you said that all of the heirs to the Akhir an-Nahr family are dead."

"She will obviously not be able to carry on our name," A'hd explained. "The reason I came to Masyaf was because she and I had an argument. She said that the Assassins were stronger than any Templar, especially you, Suna of the Shadow-Step. I fought to show her how weak you all were." He sighed. "Or how you were supposed to be."

"Where is she now?" I asked.

"I do not know."

I hurried off, knowing that I needed to find Ahdara before she got into some sort of trouble. The problem was that I did not know what she looked like, but I was sure I'd hear rumours of a stranger in Masyaf soon enough.

_**1511**_

__Ezio and I ran up the beams that jutted out of the tower in Masyaf. I had to admit, it brought back memories of Altair, Sef, Darim and I. There was a guard above us, so I shuffled around and distracted him. Luckily, he was unarmed. Ezio came up behind the guard and kicked his back, and I grabbed him and tossed him off of the cliff. I could hear Leandros screaming at his guards to find us as we continued our climb, but the blizzard around us really started to fog our vision. I was sure that was the case for Leandros' guards as well.

We finally made it to the wall of the keep, and we went into a room where our weapons were. Ezio put his hidden blades on and checked the right one, but the blade was cut-off.

I felt sorry, since mine were still intact. But he did get a new sword. All of my weapons were there, so I was fine.

"The blizzard is going to make navigation difficult," Ezio admitted. "Sofia, you remember this place?"

"Like the back of my hand." I smiled. "Do not worry, Ezio. I can help out. Just stay behind me."

Ezio nodded. We started to run down the length of the wall when we ran into some of Leandros' guards. We easily dispatched them, and kept moving. A few seconds after that, we reached the keep's main building. I started to climb, Ezio right behind me. When we finally reached the top, Ezio walked over to a statue of an eagle and kicked it down. He jumped after it, with me following only a few seconds behind. I hit the water after Ezio had killed the guard, and then I climbed out.

"I don't like swimming in winter," I said, rubbing my arms to keep warm.

"Then you should get some fur lined into your robes," Ezio replied with a smile.

I frowned. "Or I could just skin you."

Ezio chuckled and headed deeper into the catacombs. He jumped off of a beam and onto a waiting guard. I waited for the rest of the guards to get closer to Ezio before I jumped off of the same beam and killed two more. With two left, Ezio and I easily killed them both.

Ezio approached a man trying to break through Altair's library door and started to speak with him. I smiled as I looked at it, remembering when Altair had shown me it for the first time. I went in there many times to read.

"We need some sort of keys," Ezio said to me, snapping me out of my daze, "or else we won't be able to enter."

I tapped my chin. "I remember Altair mentioning something about giving some glowing disks to Niccolo Polo. From the looks of it, they should fit into the door. But…" I squinted to examine the door. "There are so many holes. It is obviously a puzzle."

Ezio nodded. "Let's go. The worker mentioned that Leandros had a journal that could help us in our search."

I nodded. "Va bene. Let's hurry."

_**2012**_

__"So… Mason, right?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah. That's my name, don't wear it out." Mason cleared his throat. "So what do you guys want?"

"We just want to check some things out," I told him. "Don't worry; we won't do anything bad."

"I hope you won't! I thought I was on for good-behaviour!"

I smiled. "Smart-ass. We're coming in."

Rebecca unlocked the door to my room and opened the door. Mason was a pale, clean-shaven guy of average height (which was pretty tall), with really, really dark eyes and hair. He was wearing faded blue jeans with holes in them, a black T-shirt with white trim, and a silver necklace. I had to admit, the smile on his face made me think he was a cat. It just looked a lot like a cat's smile!

"Hey! You're the one who tackled me and threatened to bite my ear!" Mason exclaimed, pointing at Rebecca.

Rebecca laughed. "Sorry about that. I was just trying to get you to stop running."

"Like that'd help!" Mason smiled when he saw me. "And you must be Sam."

I nodded. "Nice to see you, face-to-face."

"Well, not really. You're wearing a hood." After a few seconds, he put a hand on top of my head. "You're really short."

I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation. "For God sakes! Just once, I want a guy to stop pointing out how short I am!"

Mason laughed at me. "Well, guys like short girls. They're cuter that way."

Rebecca was laughing at me as my face went red. Mason realized then that Rebecca had some needles with her.

"What's that for?' he asked suspiciously.

Rebecca held it up for him to look. "This is just to run a few tests. You said you didn't remember much, so we're gonna run a DNA scan and find out who you are. This'll most likely tell us if you're a Templar or not."

Mason tipped his head to the side. "What're you gonna do with me if I'm not?"

Rebecca shrugged. "We're gonna leave that up to Bill."

Sighing, Mason nodded and sat on the bed. "Well then, do your worst."

I took the equipment from Rebecca. "Hey, I'll do it. I have enough experience."

Rebecca smirked. "Okay. Just don't accidentally kill him or anything."

"Pfft. Like I'd do that…" I got out a needle and quickly did my thing, and then filled up a second vial.

"Why d'you need two?" Mason asked.

"Just in case we screw-up the first time," I replied smartly. "Better safe than sorry, right?" I handed the vials to Rebecca, who smiled and walked out of the room. "It'll also tell us why Abstergo wanted you." Mason tilted his head, like I usually did whenever I was confused. I smiled. "Abstergo is a company owned by the Templar Order. They've created these machines that let you look into your ancestor's memories. Genetic memory. It's called an Animus. The people I work with also use about two that I know of. We need them if we want to stop the Templars."

"Why?"

"The Templars are trying to enslave the world," I answered honestly. "They want everyone to… well, they practically want them to share one mind. They want peace."

"That's a good thing though!" Mason argued.

I nodded. "Peace is what we're striving for too—the thing is, the Templars, in making everyone think the same things, it takes away free-will. What I, and the people I work with want, is for everyone to retain their free-will. That gives way for new ideas. We wouldn't have New York City if we were all one mind, would we? Because we would never want to look for new places."

Mason considered this, and then nodded. "I see… So in other words, you're trying to save the world."

I nodded. "Bingo. Now, I'd better get back to Rebecca and help her out."

Mason got up as I did and walked with me to the door. "I'll just stay here then," he said.

"I'll come back soon enough. Hopefully, we'll have good news."

"You're hoping that because you can't stand to be away from me, can you?"

I think I almost hit him, he ticked me off so much. "You idiot! Is that all that's on your mind?"

"No. I think about many other things… like what I'm going to do if I even get out of this place." Mason smirked. "And about how dirty your mind is."

I rolled my eyes and left the room, closing it and locking it behind me. "Idiot…" I muttered as I walked to Rebecca.


	9. Still Alive

Chapter Eight:

Still Alive

_**1511**_

__"You should learn to stop howling," Ezio said as he stabbed his broken hidden blade into Leandros.

I waited patiently while Leandros said his dying words and gave Ezio the journal of Niccolo Polo. When he was done, Ezio came over to me and showed me the journal. I smiled, remembering the one time I met Niccolo. He'd had that very book tucked under his arm…

"We should go," Ezio told me. "Leandros said that the Templars already have one key. If we hurry, we can recover the rest."

I nodded in agreement. "Grande. Let's get moving."

"But didn't you have something that you needed to do, Sofia?"

I laughed. "Non ti preoccupare. When we return with the keys, I can pay my respects."

Ezio frowned, but nodded. "Molto bene. Then let's go."

_**1205**_

__I flipped through the pages of my book and studied the pictures eagerly. I loved the artwork, despite how interesting I found the book itself. I wanted to learn how to draw, someday.

_Maybe when I am an old woman,_ I thought with a smile. _I can learn how to draw the mountains. I'm sure someone will like it one day… And anyway, it won't be long until I'm old._ My smile faded. _But… it's strange. I got impaled with a sword, and I didn't die. I healed completely. I always have, ever since…_

"Suna?" Darim said, coming in.

I stood up. He didn't look very much like Altair as he did Maria, but he had the same smile as Altair. That made me always think of how excited I would be to have my own children, one day.

"Yes, Darim?" I asked, closing my book.

"You asked me to tell you if I saw a female stranger around."

"You have?"

Darim nodded. "She is hanging around the main gates. I saw her only a few minutes ago, so you could probably catch her."

"What does she look like?" I pressed.

"Short. She is probably fourteen or fifteen, and has black hair and grey eyes." Darim smiled. "She looks like Chara, your sister."

I automatically clenched my fists. "Oh…"

Darim grinned and patted my face. "Do not worry, Suna. The likeliness isn't that much."

I returned his smile as best I could and left Altair's library, and jumped on the rooftops to quickly cover some ground to the main gate. I was going to see if A'hd was telling the truth about me having a cousin. I knew it was stupid to look forward to it, seeing as there was a high chance that he was lying, but I couldn't stop my heart. Maria always told me that, with all the things I could control about myself, from expressions to feelings, I couldn't stop my own heart. I thought it was stupid at first, but I realized later that it was best that I was like that. It showed me that I still had room to grow.

I stopped at the edge of a rooftop when I saw someone moving around suspiciously, as if they were waiting.

I dropped onto the ground and made my way towards them. Darim had given an accurate description, and so I was thankful for that.

As soon as she saw me, even with my hood up, she knew who I was. But I could not read the expression on her face; she seemed too conflicted.

"You are the Master Assassin who fought my father…?" she said warily.

I nodded. "I am. My name is Suna Ibn La'Ahad. I hear that you and your father had an argument."

"And now it is my fault that he is being held by you people." Ahdara frowned slightly. Darim _had_ told me that she looked like Chara, but he lied about the likeliness. They could have been twins. "Are you going to release him? It is my father's pride that made him fight you. He didn't like that I did not agree with the way the Templars did things. He just wanted to prove something—!"

"Like an idiot would," I cut-in. "Ahdara, can we sit down? I'd like to talk casually."

She nodded. "Of course. Where…?"

I smiled and led her up to the keep. She seemed both excited and afraid, but mostly nervous. It made me smile.

"Ahdara, I am willing to speak to the Grandmaster about your father's release, provided he never returns here," I told her as we sat beside each other in the mess hall. "Tell me; what is he like? I fear that I've only seen his ignorant side."

Ahdara bit her lip. "Well… he has been quite angry lately. My mother died recently, you see. And I know that he may seem overly hostile, but he's good at heart. He's just in mourning. He really loved my mother."

I nodded. "I didn't really know my parents. They died when I was young, and the Assassins took me in. Altair became the father I didn't know, though there is that regret that I never really knew most of my family. I met my older sister a year ago, and we lived together for a month in Constantinople before she was killed by the Templars."

Ahdara covered her mouth. "What did you do?"

"I killed them all," I admitted. "There must have been four-hundred men. They stabbed me and cut me, but I killed each and every one of them. I was so enraged that when Altair finally found me, I was stabbing their corpses, and I didn't stop until Altair dragged me away from their corpses. And then we headed back to Masyaf by way of a ship. I was in mourning for weeks before Maria finally came and brought me back to reality."

"I wish I had a sister," Ahdara admitted. "I am an only child. My mother did not wish for any more children, so my father respected her wish. He regrets it now, because he wanted a son."

I nodded. "Actually, we are on the topic I wanted to speak about. Ahdara, we are actually family, you and I. I am your cousin, Suna. My sister was Chara. I know that your father, A'hd, is my uncle, and frankly I am not very happy about that, since he threatened to kill my adoptive father. But I am willing to get to know you. Would that be all right?"

Ahdara thought quietly for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes. I would like to get to know my cousin, and see things the way you see them."

I smiled. "Great! I think I'll introduce you to Altair!"

_**2012**_

__"So…" I cleared my throat. "Lemme get this straight: you want to go for a walk?"

"Yep."

"Outside?"

"Uh-huh."

"Where Abstergo could still be looking for you?"

"… I guess."

"Not to mention that you could actually be a Templar who just wants to get me alone so you can casually kill me and escape?"

"Now you're taking it a bit too far." Mason smiled. "I just want to take a walk! I've been in here for days, and I'm really starting to get claustrophobic. I'm inviting you along so you can watch over me and make sure I'm not an evil Templar, and so that you and I can get to know each other better!"

I hesitated. "Get to know each other? Like how?"

Mason shrugged, but I was sure he knew exactly how. "I dunno… Maybe a movie, or something to eat…"

I facepalmed. It would be just my luck that the guy we captured who was under suspicion of being a Templar would ask me out.

"You guys can go!" Rebecca said, sticking her head into the room. "I can distract Bill for a while, at least."

_Rebecca, you're not helping!_

Mason smiled his cat-like smile. "Awesome! Then let's get going!"

Rebecca was laughing at me as we left the apartment. I shot a glare back at her, hoping she'd feel the daggers at her back. Luckily, just in case Mason turned out to be a Templar, I had all of my weapons. I didn't think he noticed them yet.

As soon as we stepped outside, Mason took a deep breath of fresh air and stretched. "Man, does this ever feel great!"

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess…"

Mason smiled and patted my head. "Geez, don't be so down, shorty!"

I think my eye twitched. "I caught that pun, you asshole!"

"Well, anything to make you stop looking like a zombie. I swear, you act like you've seen _everything_!"

_Probably because I have,_ I thought automatically.

"Well, let's get going!" Mason said, and started walking.

I followed him from a distance for a while, but sped up once I realized that it'd be best if I didn't have to go chasing after him. If I walked beside him, I could just grab onto him and take him down. Mason saw a book store and immediately went inside, so I followed, wondering why he'd want to go inside. I found Mason in the manga section of the store, laughing at a comedy.

"Look! He just—!" Mason couldn't finish his sentence, because he was laughing so much. And then he grabbed another manga and pointed at the character at the front. "This person reminds me of you, actually."

I didn't see the title of the manga because I was grabbing a volume of Black Cat from the shelves. I flipped to a page where the main character, Train Heartnet, was smiling like a cat.

I showed him the picture. "This is what your smile reminds me of. It looks stupid."

Mason laughed. "I think I like it! And I guess that's all that matters, right?" He replaced the books back onto the shelf. "Let's get going. I'm hungry!"

I rolled my eyes. "Do you have any money to pay for anything to eat?" Mason smiled at me, his eyes pleading. I sighed. "Fine, I'll pay for something. I think I have some money. Let's just stop at a bank."

Mason nodded. "Sounds good! Let's get hot dogs!"

I led him to a bank that wasn't far away and took some money out of my account. I was silently thanking myself for remembering a few years ago to set up an account in New York. That done, we found a hot dog stand in central park and sat down on a bench to eat.

"I was getting kinda tired of fruit," Mason admitted. "I just really wanted something warm in my stomach."

"You're a giant child," I said bluntly.

"Oh, really? If I were a giant child, I would've insisted that we go to McDonald's instead of a simple hot dog stand."

"Or you would've insisted I carry you everywhere."

Mason grinned. "You know, you're pretty hostile today."

"I hadn't noticed."

He patted me on the back. "Just chill out, Sam. I'm not gonna attack you. I'm not one of those Templar guys you keep telling me about." Mason finished his hot dog. "I'm thirsty, and I think I still have your change with me. I'm gonna grab a drink!"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm watching you," I told him. "So don't even think about running."

Mason smiled. "Not even if I run to get a drink?"

"You know what I mean, goddammit!"

Mason got up and went to the vendor to buy a drink. I leaned my head back on the bench and shut my eyes for a second, listening to the birds in the park. _Last time I was in New York City was before I met Walter,_ I thought absently.

When I opened my eyes, there was a strange man standing above me. I leaped to my feet, but right into another guy. They were probably in their mid-twenties, and about three of them.

"You don't really see anyone wearing a hood like that," one of the guys said. "I wonder why you'd need to wear a hood when it's not raining? Are you ashamed of your face or something?"

I smiled weakly. "No. Just my style, I guess."

One of the guys put a hand in his pocket and grabbed something, but he didn't take it out. "I have a sudden interest in your face, I guess. Why don't you take that hood off?"

"Oh, please. I tan easily. I'll probably burn in the sunlight if I take it off."

He pulled out a switchblade and kept it close, to hide it from anyone who looked over at us. "C'mon. I don't wanna scar that face of yours."

I flicked my wrists and activated my hidden blades. The two guys on my sides saw them immediately and backed-off. "Sorry, but you couldn't if you wanted to."

"Is there a problem?" I heard Mason ask.

I looked over and deactivated my hidden blades. Mason was sipping on the straw of his drink, his face curious.

"Nope," the guy with the knife replied. "You should run along."

"Sorry, but that's my friend that you're holding that knife to," Mason said. "How 'bout you drop it and walk away, before someone gets hurt?"

The guy smiled and looked around for any police. Actually, it seemed like we were the only ones in that area of the park. The hot dog vendor had moved on.

"Dude, just leave. There're three of us, and I've got a weapon. Get the hell outta here."

"Sorry, can't do that."

The guy ran at Mason, knife raised. Mason moved out of the way effortlessly, but the guy had slashed his plastic drink. It spilled out onto the road, and Mason looked at it lamely.

"Do you know how much it is to by a soda in Central Park? Not cool, dude." Mason pulled the straw out of the ruined cup with his teeth and chewed on it, then put his hands in his pockets. "Last chance."

Once more, the guy ran at Mason. Mason rolled his eyes, brought his left hand out of his pocket, grabbed the guy's wrist and slammed his head against the other guy's. He fell to the ground, and before I knew it, Mason had the knife in his hand. I got behind the other two guys and activated my hidden blades again, pressing them against their backs.

"You guys'd better leave now," I told them. "There doesn't need to be any unnecessary bloodshed."

The guys hurried off, leaving their friend behind on the ground. I deactivated my hidden blades again and joined Mason.

"The hell?" the guy exclaimed. "How the hell'd you do that?"

Mason smiled. "I don't really know. I guess it was instinct." He put his hand on my head and pulled me towards him, much to my dismay. "But I'm gonna be the first one to see who's under the hood. Mess with my friend again, and I promise that you won't leave here with just a nosebleed again."

The guy quickly turned-tail and ran, trying desperately to catch up with his friends. Mason threw the shortblade into a garbage can, quickly followed by his straw.

"Can you let go of my head now?" I asked, almost desperately.

Mason smiled. "Oh, sorry."

We were walking back to the hideout when I finally couldn't just keep to myself. "How'd you pull that off?" I asked.

Mason shrugged. "Dunno. I just reacted. I mean, they totally demolished my soda, which I'd barely drank at all."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, we've actually got some Coke in the fridge. I could get some for you."

Mason's usual smile turned into a huge grin that reached from one ear to the next. "Awesome! That sounds great!"

I laughed at him. "By the way, I'm not about to take off my hood any time soon."

"Oh, that's okay," he said. "You're probably some freaky albino anyway."

"Hey!" I snapped angrily. "I'm not!" I grabbed a strand on my hair from under my hood and showed it to him. "Brown hair!"

"But your eyes're probably pink," Mason prodded.

I almost took my hood off to prove they weren't, but then I realized what he was doing. "Oh… You're good."

"I try."


	10. Welcome to the Animus

Chapter Nine:

Welcome to the Animus

_**2012**_

__"You have a fever," Rebecca said as she took the thermometer out of my mouth. "You should stay in bed today. I can move Mason to a different room."

I shook my head. "I'm fine. It's not gonna kill me."

"Nothing's gonna kill you, kiddo. I'm just saying you should rest for the day. I'm almost done with Mason's samples as it is, so there's nothing you can really do anyway."

I frowned, but surrendered and went to my room. I could still get sick, which was a major downer, but at least it made me feel like I wasn't immortal all the time. It was just the times when I would get stabbed through the heart and panic, "Am I gonna die?" and then realize that I'd still be breathing.

I collapsed into my bed and stared at the ceiling for a while, wondering what I could do for an entire day in bed (that would help me get better, at least). I fell asleep while thinking, and when I woke up I remembered how bored I was supposed to be. I sat up in bed and stretched, my hand brushing up against something hard.

I looked up and saw Mason standing over me, a book in his hand. "I thought I'd get this for you, sicky!" he said with a smile.

It was the manga I'd showed him yesterday, Black Cat. I laughed. "I can't believe you remembered which one!"

"Hey, the guy's got a killer smile! How could I not? I mean, I practically invented it!" He put it down on my lap. "I asked Rebecca if she could grab me some stuff from the city so I wouldn't be so bored around here. I saw that you guys had a T.V. hooked-up, so I asked if she could buy a video game system and this book!"

"Well, thanks." I paused. "Wait a sec… How'd you afford it?"

Mason smiled. "I used the leftover money you got from the bank yesterday!"

I groaned. "You mooch…"

"Hey, I'll find a way to pay you back later." Mason sat on the bed and touched the beak on my hood. "That reminds me of something…"

"What?"

"I dunno. It just does." He brought his hand back. "Last night, I was trying to remember more things, but I couldn't. Only names, and then nothing. Hell, I can barely remember trying to remember. Sad, right?"

I hesitated, wondering what I could say. "What if I got you into one of those machines that show memories? I had amnesia; actually, I had it a few times. That's what happens when people aim at your head. But the latest time I had it, it was much easier to move back into my life because I saw a few things that helped push me in the right direction."

"By looking at your ancestor's memories?"

_Forgot that he's good at details. _"It's… more complicated than that. Maybe one day I'll tell you."

"And maybe one day I get to see who's hiding under that hood, eh?" Mason inquired slyly.

"I thought you didn't want to see because I'd be something freaky?" I replied with a smirk.

Mason grinned. "Ah, well. Then I may just die of heartbreak."

"That's a little dramatic."

With a shrug, Mason got back to his feet. "Well, let's try your idea. I have to admit; I'm curious about my ancestors."

He held out his hand, and I gratefully took it to get out of the bed.

"Lead me there, Sam."

_**1205**_

__The bell rang loudly throughout Masyaf. The Assassins scrambled, but seemed neat about it. I was among them, rushing to bring up the barricades and the rest of the defences. Maria was getting the villagers into the keep, along with Darim and Sef. They were still too young for this.

"The Templars are attacking!" a Herald shouted. "Everyone, head to the keep! Head to safety!"

I jumped onto a rooftop and headed to the gates, where Altair would most likely be. I found a good cliff and pulled myself up, scanning the ground for him. But I didn't hear or see the arrow until it was too late.

When I came-to, there was an arrow just above my right collar bone, and my hands and feet were bound by rope, though my hands were behind my back. I heard something open, and I was soon forced to my feet.

"This one looks like she may be important," a man remarked. "No wonder the boss wants us to bring her."

"Oh, she is," another man replied. "Believe me."

My eyes hurt when they hit the light of the sun, but my hood at least helped. Roughly, the men shoved me along until I could hear the sounds of battle not far off. I hoped I hadn't been unconscious for long.

"Assassins! Surrender now, or face your deaths!" a man yelled, his voice booming over the shouts. "Altair, come to me! And face the death of one of your own!"

_So this is it…_ My heart started to race. _I'm going to die here… Mohammad didn't kill me, that army of Templars didn't kill me, but now I'm going to die for real._

I saw Altair run down to the open main gates. He stopped in the middle, a few Assassins (including Maria and Malik) joining him.

The men holding me ripped my hood off of my face, revealing my eyes to the full glare of the sun. I squinted in hopes to aid my eyes.

"Release her!" Altair yelled, pointing his sword at the Templar leading the army. "Release her, or I will ensure that your death will not come swiftly, Templar!"

One of the men holding me ripped the arrow out of me. I yelled in pain. I knew enough about the human body, but I didn't need all of my lessons to tell me that where the arrow hit was a soft spot.

"Come and get her, Altair!" the Templar chided. "You will not make it a single step before my archers kill you!"

Maria was clenching her fists. "You think that holding a hostage will force us to surrender? Ha! How stupid you Templars have become!"

That is Maria, bluffing. I could tell how worried she was.

"And you!" Malik yelled, pointing to the man holding me at my left—the one who tore the arrow out of me. "How did you escape?"

"I had some help," he replied. I recognized him now; it was A'hd. "You Assassins have always been so sure of yourselves! You forget that the Templars are deceptive as well!"

"Father!" Ahdara screamed. "What are you doing?"

Malik grabbed onto Ahdara's arm to stop her from sprinting at the army of Templars. "Be careful! Are you not aware of what is happening around you?"

The head Templar smiled. "A'hd, so this is your lovely daughter? How fortunate that she sided with the Assassins! She helped us get right inside!"

Ahdara stopped struggling against Malik, her eyes, and mine, widening in bewilderment. "W-What?"

"Didn't you know? Your father used you to get captured, and took his opportunity to let us know to attack!" The Templar grinned. "Amazing, is it not? But talk is cheap; and so, A'hd, I want you to kill the little Assassin."

"With pleasure." A'hd drew his blade just as Ahdara broke free of Malik and came sprinting towards us.

"SUNA!"

"AHDARA! NO!" I jumped into action and elbowed the Templar to my right in the nose. With A'hd holding onto me with only one hand, I easily got out of his grasp.

I saw the lead Templar close his fist; a sign for the archers to fire. I leaped forward, because I hoped that if I was going to die, at least it would be so someone else would live.

I knocked Ahdara over just as the arrows started to fly. The embedded themselves in my back, and I fell to the ground, lying on my stomach. God, how it hurt. How much more pain would I need to be in until I died?

"Finish her," the lead Templar ordered. "A'hd, go now. As for your daughter… take her prisoner. She likes the Assassins so much? We shall treat her as one."

My hand brushed Ahdara's. Her eyes were so scared, so I did my best to not look afraid, even though I was trembling.

"One more step, A'hd, and I will throw you from a cliff!" Altair yelled. "Do not think that just because you have an army behind you means that you are invincible! I will kill you!"

A'hd's foot violently slammed into my back. I cringed, but I was grateful that he missed the arrows. "Look, Altair; how does it feel to be helpless?"

Ahdara grabbed my hand, knowing she couldn't stop her father. "It's okay," I mouthed to her. "Everything will be—."

A'hd stabbed my heart through my back. His sword stuck itself into the ground through my body, and my eyes closed.

_**1511**_

__"So, this is Messer Polo's old trading post?" I asked Ezio.

He nodded. "Si. Didn't you know?"

"I was in Kostantiniyye once, Ezio. And it wasn't even in this district." I gestured to the door. "None of that 'ladies first' merda this time."

Ezio smiled and knocked on the door, waiting for a reply.

"Come in!" a woman's voice exclaimed.

I shot Ezio a "look", one he ignored. He opened the door and entered, me following behind, but as soon as we got inside I was distracted by the many books on the shelves to my left. I started to browse, totally unaware that Ezio had continued further into the store. When I finally noticed, I slammed the book I'd picked out closed and put it back on the shelf, then continued into the old trading post.

I saw a woman looking inside of a hole in the wall, but I couldn't see Ezio. "Where is the man who was in here?" I asked her.

She jumped, obviously because she hadn't heard me approach. "Mio dio! You startled me!"

"I noticed." I smiled a bit. "Where is the man who was in this shop?"

"He found that passageway and went inside," she explained, pointing at the hole. "I did not know someone was with him."

I sighed. "He'll be back soon. Let's go wait in the main room, si?"

She nodded in agreement, and so we walked together back to the main room. She sat at her desk and picked up a quill, probably ready to do some work.

"What is your name?" she asked.

I inclined my head slightly. "Sofia d'Alviano. That idiota who went inside that hole is my friend Ezio Auditore."

She smiled. "We are both Sofias! I am Sofia Sartor, and I run this bookshop."

"Piacere Sofia," I replied. "I admit, it feels a bit like I am talking to myself."

Sofia laughed a bit. "Well, unless you have a heavy interest in books, I do not think you will have much of a problem."

"Peccato. I love books."

"What is your favourite?"

I laughed. "I do not have one! I love them all equally!"

"As do I." Sofia held out her hand, which I took and tried to shake gently. "I think this is a good start to a friendship, no?"

I nodded. "Si, it is."


	11. One With Shadows

Chapter Ten:

One With Shadows

_**2012**_

__"No," Bill said firmly.

I frowned. "Bill, we need to find out who Mason is! The Animus is the best way to do that!"

"I said no, Samantha." Bill continued to look for the chest I hid—the one with the Apple inside. "Now either do as I say, or I'm locking you in your room. Your choice."

I tapped my foot impatiently. "What if I gave you the Apple?"

Bill stopped and looked at me. "Then we'd be able to arrange something."

"Well, either Mason goes in the Animus and I give you the Apple, or you keep looking for it and never find it." I crossed my arms, a smirk crossing my lips. "Your choice."

I knew I had Bill exactly where I wanted him. He clenched and unclenched his fists, and finally surrendered.

"Very well, Samantha. But as soon as he gets in, the Apple better be in my hand."

I smiled and showed Mason to the Animus, grabbing Ezio's Apple of Eden from underneath it in the process. When Rebecca patched him in, I gave the box to Bill, who was frowning at me.

"Nice doing business with you," I commented dryly.

I heard Shaun laugh. "Well, at least you didn't kill each other. That's a bonus."

_**1511**_

__While Ezio was off with Yusuf, I ended up spending time with Sofia in her bookshop, reading every book I could find there. Sofia and I would sometimes pass the time by having reading competitions, to see who could read the fastest. To prove it, we would need to memorize the page. Suffice to say, I had a bit more experience than her, but she was good.

When Ezio would come back, I would leave so he and Sofia could be alone. I had no doubt that Ezio was flirting with her, and I didn't really want to see my old friend continue his womanizing habits.

A few weeks after we'd arrived in Constantinople, I saw Ezio in the library of the main hideout. He was completely transfixed by one of the keys he'd found; the third one, to be exact. As I watched him and the key, my head started to pound. I put my hand on my head, hoping that something as simple as that would dull the pain, but it did not.

_**"He executed our youngest son, Maria! He deserves to die!"**_

_ Altair?_ I used the wall to stop myself from falling over. How long it had been since I heard his voice…

_**"Perhaps. But if you cannot win back the Order by honourable means, its foundation will crumble."**_

_And now Maria… _I slipped on a pillow and fell in a heap of them.

_**"You are right. Thirty years ago I let passion take over my reason. And it caused a rift that has never fully healed."**_

__Now it wasn't just their voices; I could see them, standing outside the portcullis of the Assassin's keep. I could feel the fear from the citizens. Fear of the Assassins. _Maria… I never saw her before she'd died. Only hours after Darim and Altair escaped Masyaf, I saw the funeral of both Malik and Maria. They were buried beside Sef, by sympathizing Assassins. And then I met with Altair and Darim once more, as they said their final good-byes…_

My eyes opened when Ezio shook me awake. "Sofia! Mio dio, Sofia!"

I groggily lifted my head. "Ezio…? What…?" I instantly remembered hearing the voices of my adoptive parents, and then nothing. "What happened?"

"I heard a fall after I finished looking at Altair's key, and I saw you lying on the ground. And then you started to speak… some sort of language."

I rubbed my eyes. "It must have been Arabic. It's my first language." I paused. "Ezio, those keys… They showed you Altair's memories?"

He nodded. "Si. How did you know?"

I shrugged. "I don't know how, but I saw Altair and Maria back in Masyaf. I guess you know what happened."

Ezio held out his hand and helped me up. "Si. Mi dispiace."

"There's nothing to apologize for," I replied. "It was a long time ago."

_**1205**_

__I peeled open my eyes and stared at the bodies around me. From the smell, they had probably been rotting out in the sun for about a day. _I'm… not dead? _I saw the blade of A'hd's sword potrouding from my chest. _No way… _And then the realization came to me. Ever since Altair had used the Apple to save my life, I didn't have any scars since then. I'd been stabbed so many times, and fought an army of four-hundred Templars. Not to mention the arrows I'd taken—and now, there was a sword inside of me, right through my heart.

I knew I should've been dead. I should've joined my deceased fellow Assassins, wherever they were. And then I knew.

_The Apple Altair used on me two years ago… it hasn't allowed me to die, just like Altair asked. _My hand absently went to my eyes. _That's the reason for these eyes. To remind me that I can't die._

Hard to admit to myself? Of course it was. I'd lived around death my entire life. I'd expected to join them one day.

_Maybe I can die of old age, _I thought hopefully. _Time will tell._

For now, I had to get out of the bodies. I pushed my way through, hoping I wasn't just burying myself deeper. When I finally managed to crawl out of the heap of bodies, I realized that all of the war machines the Templars had were now in the village, with a few trying to get past the portcullis of the keep.

I quickly pushed the sword out of my body, taking deep breaths to hide the pain. I grabbed the sword and decided it would be useful, then hobbled over to the main gates of the village. It was already night time, so I could use the cover of darkness to my advantage. As soon as I found my weapons, I was off. My walking speed quickened as more time passed, until I was able to run. I stayed as quiet as possible, so not to alert any guards. I leaped into a haystack just before a guard was passing and assassinated him, pulling his body into the haystack. I jumped out and saw a few barrels of oil, used for torches.

Smiling, I grabbed a barrel and doused one of the Templar's wooden machines in it, then moved onto the next one, letting the oil spill in a perfect trail to it. As I ran out of oil, I went back and grabbed another barrel, continuing my pattern. When I reached the keep, I carefully encircled the guards using the machine to get inside, hoping and praying they wouldn't see me.

I grabbed an unlit torch after I was done and waited until the guards were close to every machine before I lit it and held it near the oil. In an instant, the first machine was a smouldering ruin, quickly followed by the other machines. It was a beautiful sight.

"What the hell is happening down there?" I heard the lead Templar scream.

More and more of the machines exploded, until it reached the one at the top, where the guards were starting to panic. When the circle I made around them lit up with fire, I leapt through and assassinated them all, then managed to push the machine away, into the flames.

I hid quickly as the lead Templar appeared out of a house in the village. He clenched his fists in anger at the sight of his army.

"Who has done this?" the Templar screamed. "What sorcery?"

I heard the portcullis of the keep open. Altair stepped out, his sword in his hand. He marched towards the lead Templar, the anger apparent in his strides. What remained of the Templar army was quickly destroyed by the Assassins, until only the lead Templar and A'hd remained, though A'hd was taken prisoner and watching his master's imminent demise from the battlements.

"Devil take you, Assassins!" the Templar screamed as Altair unknowingly led him towards me. "God is on my side!"

Altair raised his sword. "Then it is God's turn to judge you; for I already have."

Before Altair could bring down his sword, I stepped out from behind the shadows. Altair saw me, I knew, but I couldn't tell what the expression on his face was.

The Templar laughed. "Why do you hesitate, Altair? Are you afraid of the wrath God would bring unto you, if you kill me?"

I activated my hidden blade and stabbed it through the back of the Templar's skull. When I was sure he was dead, I deactivated my hidden blade and let his body fall to Altair's feet.

"God will judge him," I said.


	12. Blood Fued

Chapter Eleven:

Blood Feud

_**1511**_

___Maledizione… Where is Ezio? _I poked my head into Piri Reis' bomb shop, but could not find him. _I've checked everywhere but Sofia's!_

I was not expecting Ezio to be anywhere near Sofia, since he had expressed that he didn't want to drag her into our war with the Templars. But even when I went to her shop, I still could not find him.

"Woah! Watch where you are going, Sofia!"

I realized that I'd bumped into Yusuf. "Oh, mi dispiace, Yusuf. I was in thought."

"I noticed." Yusuf smiled. "I haven't asked you yet, Sofia: what do you think of Kostantiniyye?"

"Very beautiful. I enjoy taking walks and looking at the colours of this city." I bit my lip. "You wouldn't happen to know where Ezio was, would you?"

He nodded. "I just saw him having a picnic with the woman who runs the bookshop. That old man seemed to be enjoying himself."

I rolled my eyes. Of course, Ezio would be with Sofia. I was an idiota to doubt it. "Then I will leave him. I just wanted to see how his progress was doing."

"I am sure that you can allow him this luxury, since he has been working hard for several weeks." Yusuf handed me a piece of paper. "And I wanted to let you know that I've found the place you asked me to look for."

I studied it intently. "Grazie, Yusuf. This helps me greatly."

"Anytime. Just remember that my Assassins were incredibly frustrated looking for this because it was so well-hidden. But to think that there was such an old graveyard in the heart of Kostantiniyye, and I knew nothing about it!"

"Well, it has been there for hundreds of years. Not many people could find it easily," I replied. "I appreciate this, Yusuf."

_**2012**_

__"Any luck yet?" I asked Rebecca.

She poured over her computer screens, which were monitoring both Desmond and Mason. "I just managed to put some memory fragments together for Mason, so he should start his first session soon. As for Desmond… Well, he's still a petrified nut."

"Good to know." I glanced at Mason, who gave me a thumbs-up. I rolled my eyes. "So, what era are we visiting today?"

"The early 20th Century," Rebecca replied. "Destination: Boston."

I grinned. "Ah, fond memories."

Rebecca looked over her screens to Mason. "Ready?"

He nodded. "Let 'er rip. Not literally though."

I shook my head in annoyance as Rebecca activated the Animus, allowing Mason to visit his ancestors.

"I'm bringing the DNA on-screen," she told me. "Let's see who this guy is."

"This is gonna be fun," I said. "Let's just hope it's no one I know, right?"

"Knowing you, I'm sure that it is!" Shaun piped up from behind me. "You and coincidences go together like tea and biscuits!"

"Way to make a British analogy, Shaun."

_**1924**_

__Back against the wall. Nowhere to run. How come my luck always seemed to suck?

The opponents: four armed men, keeping their distance. I wouldn't reach my crossbow in time, or my throwing knives, and I didn't feel like giving away my immortality, just in case one escaped.

"Fire!" one of the men yelled.

The men started to pull the triggers on their Colt revolvers, when all of a sudden shots erupted through the alley. Each man fell, not even knowing what hit them. Hell, I didn't even know!

At the other end of the alley, a man started walking towards me. He was wearing a beige trenchcoat, and had a Winchester repeater resting on his shoulder. A black bowler hat rested on his head at an awkward angle, and he was wearing white gloves. Underneath the trenchcoat was a suit, which seemed to be a few years old, at least. He also had a cigarette in his mouth, which instantly put a frown on my face.

"Isn't this a surprise?" he commented, replacing his repeater into the sling on his back. "Here I am, chasing after my target, and all of a sudden some idiot in white takes 'im! So, I get curious, and follow you while your being chased by my target's goons!"

I narrowed my eyes. The motion was obvious, despite the fact that my hood guarded them. "Just who _are_ you?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He grabbed the cigarette out of his mouth and let it fall to the ground, stamping it out. "Name's Mason Rider, Assassin-for-hire. Nice rhyme, ain't it?"

"A little weak." I relaxed my hands. "I'm Sara Taylor. What do you mean by, 'Assassin-for-hire'?"

"People pay me to get rid of people. I usually do it for the police, but it's real hush-hush, since they can't be connected to an organized murder." Mason smirked. "Oops. I guess the cat's outta the bag, huh?"

"Do you always reveal your 'contacts'?"

"Naw. I just let people know, if I know they're gonna die." Mason played with his hat, which made it even more lopsided. "You won't last a week in this town, girl. I suggest that you leave if you value life."

"I'm a lot tougher to take down than you might think, Rider."

With a smirk, he picked up two revolvers off the ground and all the bullets in the ones he didn't grab. "Well, prove it then. Looks like more of these sons of bitches are comin' around that bend."

I quickly climbed up one of the buildings. "Don't worry; I'll cover you."

"Have fun."

_**2012**_

__"So, Mason probably isn't even my real name," Mason said. "Ah well. I guess it belongs to my ancestor. He must've been my grandfather, or my great-grandfather!"

"Probably."

"And it's so weird, because the person he was talking to looked and sounded like you!"

"How coincidental."

Mason smiled. "You don't seem excited!"

_Because I've seen that scene before. It becomes like a movie, I guess. _"Sorry."

Bill came in then, with the Apple in his hand. "I'm still pretty sure that I don't have the right genes for this thing…"

"Then stop playing with it!" I snapped. "Look what it did to Desmond!"

"I can see what it did!" Bill replied. "Stand down, Samantha!"

I started to get up, and I noticed that everyone else (save for Desmond) was as well. "You don't even care! Desmond's your _son_, you bastard!"

"Do you really care this much about the people you mentored?" Bill asked, frowning. "I don't remember you showing the same care when you taught me!"

"Because you thought yourself above the Creed!"

Bill paused, his knuckles turning white as he held the Apple. "We're done here, Samantha. I guess you're lucky that I still find value in you, or else I would have killed you by now."

"And I you."

We glared at each other from across the room before Bill turned on his heel and left. The next few minutes were tense as I tried to get my frustration under control. I'd always disliked Bill, from the moment I met him to now. He always knew how to provoke me, even when I was teaching him what I knew years ago.

"Well, that was pleasant," Shaun remarked. "A story for another time then?"

Mason put a hand on my head and forced me to sit down again. "Chill, Sam. Don't worry." Mason smiled. "I don't like that old bastard much, either," he whispered.

"And you don't even know him the way I do."


	13. The Trump Card

Chapter Twelve:

The Trump Card

_**1205**_

__"… Suna?"

I smiled weakly. "Frankly, I am as surprised as you are, father."

Altair's sword dropped to the ground. He quickly had me in his arms, ignoring the corpse beside us. I was so happy that I wasn't dead, that I was in his arms and smiling with him. I hadn't realized how much I would miss it, if I had really died. How much of an idiot I was.

"Impossible!" A'hd screamed, fighting against the Assassins holding him. "You should be dead! I stabbed you right through the chest! Through your heart! You are of the Devil's flesh! Of his blood! How dare you hold my sister's face, and call that son of a bitch your father?"

_Moment ruined,_ I thought dryly as I let go of Altair, though he was more hesitant to do so than I.

"A'hd, you are a fool!" I yelled up at him. "Did you really think that I would be so foolish as to get hit by your arrows? To be captured and killed in such a manner? What you hit was not my heart, as you completely missed it!" I hoped that my lie would convince everyone else who was present as well. "A'hd, I was thinking of letting you leave. I was willing to talk to the Grandmaster about releasing you and letting you leave Masyaf with Ahdara, but you aren't even worth a word of it! You are no man, but a coward, and a fool! You put your own well-being above your daughter's!" My rant reminded me of the last words I heard before I'd supposedly "died". I looked to Altair. "Where _is_ Ahdara, Grandmaster?"

"Some Templars took her away from the battle, and we were forced to retreat. We could not go after her," Altair told me, his voice both sad and serious.

My fists clenched. For years, before I'd even met Chara or knew about her, I had become good at controlling my emotions. But losing my sister had hurt me deeply, and I feared I would never recover. Now, the thought of losing Ahdara, who looked so much like my older sister… It was near unbearable.

"We will send out a search party immediately," Altair said. "You, Maria, Malik and I will be it. This victory will gain us the time we need."

I nodded. "Thank-you, Altair. This is something that needs to be finished."

_**1511**_

__"It was… It must have been years ago, because I cannot seem to remember the exact date, but Ezio tried to leap over the canal in Venezia, and he ended up slamming into the wall he had tried to grab onto, and fell into the canal with all of his armour on!" I laughed, with Sofia joining in. "When he finally got out of there, he had the biggest frown on his face, you would not even believe it!"

Sofia tried to stifle her giggles. "Ezio sounds quite adventurous!"

"Oh, si, he was and still is. It runs in his family." I remembered that Mario had once stolen some of his younger brother's undergarments and hung them from the flagpole in Monteriggioni. Vanni wouldn't speak with him for a month. "What year were you born?" I asked her.

"1476," she said. "Here, in Kostantiniyye."

I nodded. "That was the year that Ezio's father and brother's were executed," I said sadly. "I remember that day. He was seventeen, you know."

Sofia automatically covered her mouth. "Mio dio. Ezio lost his family…?"

"He still had his mother and sister," I told her. "Though his mother, Maria Auditore, has been gone seven years now."

"Poor Ezio…" Sofia put a hand on mine. "Well, Ezio does not talk much about himself, so I do appreciate you telling me this." Sofia smiled. "I thought his name was familiar though. I learned of the execution of the Auditore's when I went to Venezia with my parents. What has Ezio been doing since then?"

I smiled back. "That, Sofia, is something that Ezio should tell you himself."

Sofia nodded in understanding. "Ah, but one more question, Sofia…"

"Si?"

"You say you remember that year, and yet you are so young! Do you mean in the history books, or were you really there?"

I grinned slyly. "I am older than you think, Sofia. Now I'd better go; Ezio might come around and hit me with his cane."

Right on cue, Ezio walked in. "I heard that," he growled, though it was playful.

"Oh mio dio! The old man can still hear!"

"And I could probably still find a way to calci nel culo." Ezio smirked and nodded to Sofia in greeting. "Mi dispiace. That was inappropriate."

Sofia waved her hand. "It is all right, Ezio. I am not so young that my ears would bleed from such a phrase."

I grinned. "I will leave you two now. I have something I must do."

When I'd shut the door behind me, I sighed. Ezio was getting older now, and I would be lying if I said that I did not miss the days that we had when he was younger and able to do more, but I knew he would have to slow down sometime. But with my life, nothing was ever slow. It was always fast, continuously moving, and it may never stop.

_**2012**_

__I woke up and blinked a few times, trying to adjust my sight to the darkness around me. I groaned when I realized what time it was.

_Too early, _I thought sadly. I wanted to get right back to sleep, but I was suddenly thirsty. So, I crawled out of my bed and trudged to the kitchen. Most of the pop was gone (consumed mercilessly by Mason), and that made a lot of room for other things in the fridge. I grabbed some orange juice and poured myself a glass, wondering if I shouldn't just drink the rest. That was how thirsty I was.

I heard something outside the kitchen. I placed my glass down onto the counter and quietly moved to the door. I peeked outside and saw a figure making their way towards the room that we'd moved both Animi to. Or, at least, the one where we moved the Animus _I'd_ been using. The main room, in short.

I followed quietly, trying not to make a sound on the creaking floorboards. When the figure reached the main room, I realized it was Bill, and he had the Apple in the chest I'd initially hid it in.

Bill looked around to see if anyone was up. Of course he didn't see me; his body was old, and that meant his eyes were weak. Despite wearing white in the shadows, I could blend in perfectly. When he was satisfied, he opened the chest and stared at the Apple. I stepped out then, deciding I didn't want to find out what he was doing and instead just stop him outright.

"Bill," I greeted sourly. "It's early in the morning. What're you doing with that thing?"

Bill nearly jumped, but got himself under control. "It's my turn to watch over Desmond," he replied.

"And you're doing a fantastic job," I said sarcastically. "Bill, drop that thing and watch your son."

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Bill asked. "When Lucy died, I took it upon myself to guide this team, and—."

"For God sakes!" I snapped, trying to keep my voice down. "We both know that you as a leader is like me as a Templar! It just doesn't work!"

Bill frowned. "Samantha, I'm more of a leader than anyone! You knew that years ago!"

"When I was teaching you the skills we Assassins use, did you ever notice me saying how great of a leader you would be?" I shook my head. "Sometimes, Bill, we have to accept our place in the world and just move on. I was never leader. I'm still not. I take orders and I carry them out. That's my place. Yours is to watch over and care for your son, who is between life and death right now!"

"I don't need this from you." Bill took the Apple out of the chest. "Samantha, I decide. I'm the oldest, and I'm the leader."

"Oh, so now we're playing the 'oldest' card? You're old in body, Bill. I'm old in mind. And age."

"Shut-up!" Bill snapped.

"Did I hit a nerve? Sorry. Then again, after all the times you'd gotten on my bad side, I guess this is just one way to make up for it."

Bill was shaking. I had no idea what was on his mind, and I was suddenly thankful for the comfort my hidden blades were giving me.

"Samantha, I'm warning you. If you dare insult me again, you'll be sorry."

I smirked. He knew I was going to take the bait. "Your parenting skills suck, you were always lazy, you smell like dirty socks and feet, and your hair can't get any greasier."

Bill raised the Apple. "I warned you! Now you won't get any mercy from me, you little bitch!"

I didn't react. I couldn't. It was too fast. The Apple rooted me to the spot. And then I felt the sensation of warm blood. It started at my sternum, and I was so shocked that I didn't even notice the pain until another path of blood appeared, this time just above my collar bone. And then my chest, and my arms. The Apple released me, finally, and I fell to the ground, screaming in pain. I realized that the wounds that had healed ever since I became immortal were reopening. Everywhere, in every place. From getting stabbed through the heart by A'hd hundreds of years ago, to getting shot by Michael less than a week ago. That meant that some wounds were opening twice. Just in the same place, pretty much. And it hurt like hell.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Mason yelled, and tackled Bill.

The Apple flew out of Bill's hand and rolled somewhere. Hell, I was too busy to look for it at the moment, and Mason and Bill were grappling with each other ferociously enough that the Apple wasn't on the top of their minds.

Finally, after what seemed a lifetime, the Apple stopped whatever it was doing. It was hard to breathe, and I was lying in a pool of my own blood, which wasn't stopping or showing any signs of slowing. I admit; I was scared, wondering if the Apple was going to kill me. I was terrified.

"Hey!" I heard Rebecca yell. "What the hell's going on?"

Shaun and Rebecca pried Mason and Bill apart, though with difficulty. "We'll get their 'testimony' later, Rebecca!" Shaun said. "Get some bandages! And a lot of stitches!"

"She needs to go to a damn hospital!" Mason objected. "_That_ can't get healed by bandages and stitches! She needs the ER!"

I saw Rebecca kneel beside me. "Sam," she said, but quietly enough so Mason wouldn't hear, "are you healing?"

With a ton of effort, I shook my head.

"Hospital it is," Rebecca said. "Shaun, get the van. Mason, you're with us. Bill…" She glared at him. "Stay here and watch your son. And don't even think about taking off to get outta trouble."


	14. Hospitals and Tramps

Chapter Thirteen:

Hospitals and Tramps

_** 1205**_

__The ride to the Templar camp was hard. Each corner we turned, there seemed to be more terrain to cross over, which slowed our progress. At one point, Malik suggested abandoning the horses, but we realized that we'd need them for the long stretches that weren't covered with fallen rocks.

By the time we reached the camp, it was hours after sunset. Perfect for a night attack. We tied our horses to the trees that the cover of the forest gave us. The Templars believed that hiding their camp in a forest would be smart, but we'd known it was there the day they moved their camp. They were nothing if not obvious.

"Our main concern is to find Ahdara," Altair said as we crept to the edge of their camp. "If you find anything of value while searching for her, be sure to take it. We will split up and cover ground quicker that way. Maria, you go with Suna and search the far side of the camp. Malik and I will search this area."

Maria, Malik and I nodded, and then we quickly went off. Maria had been quiet when she learned that I was still alive. I could only imagine what she was thinking. I remembered that she had chastised Altair for using the Apple on me, and now I was sure that she was far from pleased. I only hoped that she would cheer up later.

We quietly moved through the camp, watching the patrols walk past us as if we did not exist. Everyone in the camp was tired, and the moral was low. I had no doubt that the word of their leader's demise had reached them.

Maria stopped me when a battalion crossed in front of us. We pressed ourselves gently against one of the tents and tried to blend. We did, and so we continued searching.

"When I was with the Templars, they usually put their prisoners at the edge of camp. They tortured them often, and so they did not want to put them in the middle of the camp so as to awaken their soldiers," Maria informed me. "Since their tactics haven't changed much, I am willing to bet that they still do so."

I nodded. "Then we will look at the edges. No point in us having to risk being spotted in the middle of the camp."

We sprinted to the edge, but saw a few guards coming towards us. Without thinking, Maria and I leaped into a tent to hide. We were lucky that no one was inside, waiting for us.

I breathed in relief as the guards passed, clueless. And then I heard something, like wind in tunnels. But there were no tunnels!

Maria heard it too, and so we started to poke around the tent. Maria shoved a desk over and quietly brought me over, pointing to a trapdoor. We opened it and descended, without a second thought. But when we hit the ground, we accidentally alerted some Templar guards.

"Assassins!" one of them managed to scream before I stabbed him through the eye. Maria dispatched the other one just as easily.

"And now we need to hurry," Maria remarked. "If they went through the trouble of making tunnels, I am sure that your cousin will be down here."

"I hope so."

We ran around the tunnels, trying to dodge patrols as they went to investigate the scream that my latest victim had made. We were out of breath, and the warmth of the tunnels did nothing to help us. Eventually, we happened upon a Templar, who was sitting in a chair and glaring at the only prisoner he had.

"Stupid girl…" he muttered. "If you weren't 'ere, I could jus' leave and go eat or somethin'!"

Ahdara made no effort to respond. Her hands were held in shackles above her head. I couldn't imagine how her shoulders felt.

The guard snorted. "Maybe if I jus' said you tried to attack me, and I retalia'ed, then the boss wouldn't min' at all!"

As soon as the guard put his hand on his sword, I struck, driving my hidden blade into his back. He screamed, and I twisted the blade, getting it further into his lungs.

"Bastard…" I growled. "You will not touch her!"

He fell into the bars and slid down. I grabbed the keys on his belt and opened the cage, then rushed to Ahdara to open her shackles. She collapsed into my arms, a breath of relief escaping her.

I adjusted her and put her on my back as best I could, Maria helping me. "Let's go," I said.

Maria nodded. "We will need to find a tunnel that takes us directly to the surface. You cannot climb a ladder with Ahdara."

"Maybe we can find a ledge. You could climb up, take Ahdara, and I would follow."

"We shall see when the time comes."

We quickly made our way through the network of tunnels, following the sound of the winds. With luck, they would lead us out.

_Hold on, Ahdara._

_ **2012**_

__"… Multiple lacerations, heart failure, and there's evidence of drowning and third-degree burns. She went through hell." There was a tapping that I didn't recognize. "And she still came out of it."

"_Heart_ _failure_?" I heard a man snort. "You saw it! It didn't _fail_! There was a hole the size of my fist through that thing! It shouldn't be beating at all!"

"Then she's damn lucky," the first man replied. "The surgery went well, and she's all stitched up. She should be out for a few days, at the least."

I heard someone suddenly come in. "Doctor Williams! Doctor Hanson! There's another patient needing surgery immediately!"

"We're coming," one of the Doctors assured the woman. "Let's go."

I heard shuffling, and then nothing. Everywhere hurt. I only then realized that I was in a hospital. Late reaction, huh? My fingers twitched absently as I peeled my eyes open. When did I black out?

Last thing I remembered was barely being able to keep my eyes open, let alone focus. Lights above me sped past; women and men in light blue and white running alongside me, but I wasn't running with them because they were pushing me on a stretcher; the smell of chemicals invading my nostrils, making me woozy—all of those things only gave me a quick glimpse, and it was enough.

My fingers twitched again. I hadn't asked Rebecca and Shaun to take me to the hospital. I didn't want them to, but I'd been too weak to argue, and I wasn't healing. But I was still alive. _Still alive._

Using what strength I had, I pushed myself into a sitting position. The beeping on the monitor beside me started to hurry as I did so. A breathing mask was over my mouth, helping me breathe.

I decided I didn't really need it anymore.

I took it off and put it next to the monitor. My robes had been swapped for those horrible hospital clothes, and so I had to find them. I started to panic as I realized my weapons were gone as well, but I calmed myself down. Most likely, everyone would think they were simply models, as the metal they were forged with never set off any metal detectors, even in airports. They'd probably be with the rest of my things.

I hopped off the bed and regretted it. I fell flat on my face, hurting the tiny areas on my body that weren't already. I grabbed onto the ledge of a window in my room and pulled myself up, and then I spotted scissors. I grabbed them and cut off the stitches on my body, knowing that they would only slow down my healing. I was right.

I snuck out of my hospital room, holding the backside of my hospital robe to preserve some of my dignity. It didn't stop my face from turning a deep crimson every time someone looked at me, though. _This is the stupidest robe anyone's ever created! _I fumed in my head.

My things were in a cubical in the laundry room. I let out a breath I'd been holding in, knowing that my worrying was for nothing. As quickly as I could, I donned my robes and put my weapons in their respective places before I pulled my hood up over my face. Now I just had to sneak out and find where Rebecca, Shaun and Mason were.

Besides the fact that I searched all ten waiting rooms before I found Mason, it was a relatively short trip.

As soon as he saw me, I could tell he was going to say something, so I pressed a finger to my lips and inclined my head to the side, quietly telling him to come. He obeyed and joined me. As soon as we walked out of the hospital, I let Mason talk.

"What the hell? The doctors said you should be totally out of it for days! You shouldn't even be walking!" Mason exclaimed.

"I'm not walking," I corrected him. "I'm limping. Can't you see?"

"I can! But you're missing the point—!"

"Where's Rebecca and Shaun?" I asked, cutting him off.

Mason frowned, but allowed me to change the topic. "They went back to the hideout for that glowing ball. Didn't you call it the Apple…? Anyway, they said they'd be back soon. They just wanted to make sure that it was unharmed and that a certain old man hadn't run away with it."

"… So, both of them left?"

"Yep."

"Neither of them stayed?"

"Nope."

"Even though you're a potential Templar who could've killed me in my sleep?"

"Hey! I haven't attacked anyone once! Well, except for those idiots in the park…" Mason smiled. "Heh, what can I say? What would the world be like without Knights who save women from random idiots?"

_"What would the world be without Knights who save women running from guards?"_

I immediately blocked out the memory and pushed it into a teeny, tiny corner of my brain. Mason seemed to notice something was a bit wrong, and was about to ask when a high-pitched sound caught our ears.

"Jeremy! Jeremy, thank God I found you!"

We ignored the screeching from the girl and continued walking, and then she jumped onto Mason's back. Mason fell forwards unexpectedly and slammed his face into the concrete, though I was sure that much damage had not been done.

"I've been looking everywhere, you idiot!" the girl screeched. She was my age (or my "aged appearance", at least), maybe a bit older, with blonde hair that reached to the middle of her back, and it was curly. She was wearing all black, which startled me for some reason. I guess it must have been because of how hot it was outside, despite the winter months.

"Please, lady…" Mason groaned. "Get off of me."

She realized the position they were in and scrambled off of him. "S-Sorry!" Once Mason got to his feet, she embraced him again. This time with a little less aggression. "I'm so happy! I thought something awful happened to you!"

Mason rubbed the back of his head and looked at me, pleading. That's when the girl noticed me frowning at her.

"Who's this?" she asked Mason.

I was the one who answered. "Samantha Warner. Who're you?"

"Olivia Hobbs." She smiled, but it seemed about as appealing as a bed of thorns. "Jeremy's my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Mason and I exclaimed.

She nodded. "Some guys broke into our apartment and dragged you away. I called the cops, but they didn't do anything!" Olivia started to drag Mason away. "C'mon, we need you back!"

I was going to argue, but instead I just grabbed onto one of Mason's arms. Olivia glared at my motion, but put that damn smile on her face.

"What is it?" Olivia asked. "Do you want to say good-bye?"

The words caught in my mouth. Our potential Templar was about to be dragged away by some strange, trampy girl, and what could I say about it?

"Have a nice life."

_**1934**_

__Our enemies gone, Mason tossed his bowler hat into a corner and picked up a bloody hat, which was dark brown like his eyes, and definitely something from the nineteenth-century.

"Better," he remarked with a sombre satisfaction. "I really hated that bowler hat…"

I picked a piece of paper off of one of my attacker's bodies. It would give me the information I needed for my next target. Then, one by one, I went to each body and closed their eyes, muttering, "Rest in peace."

"Why'd you go and do something like that?" Mason asked, but he was smirking. "The dead are dead. Sending their souls off with a few words ain't gonna change it."

"You might think differently, the day you die."

Mason's smirk turned into a smile, one that seemed familiar to me. "Nice night," he remarked as he slid his new Colt revolvers into some waiting holsters. "Let's take a walk. I'm sure that paper you got the will tell us our next destination."

I shook the paper in front of him. "Right you are, Rider."


	15. With Friends Like These

Chapter Fourteen:

With Friends Like These

_**2012**_

__By the time I got back to the hideout, I was still limping, but most of my wounds were closed. I decided to take the elevator to the top floor, so as not to strain myself. I opened the door with the key I hid under the flower pot and the pocketed it, since I was pretty sure that any dim-witted Templar would probably look under there.

Rebecca saw me and embraced me quickly, trying to be careful with me. "Sam! How're you feeling? Do you need to sit down?"

I nodded. "I'll sit for a bit. Most of my wounds haven't closed."

Rebecca helped me to a chair and sat across from me. I thought I saw Desmond stir, but I wasn't entirely sure.

"Um… Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's Mason?"

I bit my lip. "His girlfriend saw him and took him."

"You let him go?"

I nodded. "What was I supposed to do? He has a life, Rebecca; something that we nearly took from him, just because of our petty 'suspicions'."

Rebecca sighed and adjusted her headphones. "Well, I finally got that DNA scan done. I just glanced at the name though, since I wanted you both to get back and see it." She paused to gauge my reaction, and then continued. "Jeremy Stevens. Seems he just got confused with his ancestor, which means that he was exposed to an Animus for a long period of time, even before he came here. It's like a variation of the Bleeding Effect, where the actual person takes on their ancestor's identity. Then, everything about that person is wiped—like deleting something—and they literally become their ancestor."

"But Mason—! Er… Jeremy… was still himself, if not a little bit amnesiac!"

"That's the thing…" Rebecca grabbed a laptop and brought it over to me. "Jeremy was very close to being erased from existence. The only way he could have been exposed to an Animus was if he was taken by the Templars, since Baby and Baby 2 are the only Animi that the Assassins have right now, and we've been using them for you and Desmond. Fortunately, he didn't get too exposed to Baby while he was here. But if the Templars get him again…"

I groaned and buried my face in my hands, my fingers rubbing my eyes as the sheer exhaustion of the situation struck me.

"How do you know he wasn't a volunteer?" Shaun asked as he came into the room.

"I just can't see Jeremy volunteering for something like that," I told him. "He seems so… I dunno." I sat up in the chair. "Where's Bill?"

"Under house-arrest," Shaun said as he poured himself some coffee for the morning. "Or, rather, room-arrest. Don't worry; the Apple's safe. And you have a story to tell, I think."

I smiled. "I'll just give you the summary: I trained Bill when he was young, and we didn't get along. Then I taught Desmond and… and Lucy…" I shook my head. "They were old enough to understand me and do as I instructed, but young enough so that they wouldn't remember me."

Rebecca looked shocked. "You taught Desmond and Lucy?"

I nodded. "They were some of the quickest minds I'd ever taught. I'd told Bill to take it easy on Desmond, but… well, we can see how his amazing parenting skills turned out."

Rebecca handed me the laptop. "Here; you can check out his identity here."

I smiled weakly and nearly closed it when I saw Mason's ID picture, which had his cocky smile. I rolled my eyes, and decided it wouldn't hurt to take just a peek…

Name: Jeremy Stevens; Age: Nineteen; Gender: Male; Status: Alive; Parents: Molly Stevens (deceased) and Richard Stevens (deceased); Relationships: Single; Hair: Black; Eyes: Brown; Height: 6"2'; Nothing else of note.

I bit my lip. Something was wrong about it. I read it over again, and finally found it.

Relationships: Single.

_Single_.

_"C'mon,"_ Olivia had said, _"we need you back!"_

I sat up in alarm. "_We"?_ I thought frantically. _Who's" we"? _But of course, I knew the answer: _Templars!_ It made sense, and so that meant Jeremy was in trouble. His very _identity_ was on the brink of annihilation!

"Son of a bitch!" I cursed as I practically threw the laptop back to Rebecca, who caught it awkwardly. "Olivia Hobbs, that tramp! I knew it!"

Shaun smiled. "Off to save another mere mortal, eh Sam?"

I glared at him, but my question went to Rebecca. "Can you pull up something on Olivia Hobbs?"

"Easily, since I have a name to go on." After a few seconds of typing, Rebecca paused. "What does she look like?"

"A blonde tramp."

"Got 'er."

Shaun snorted. "I like how you both are on the same brainwave."

"She just looks like a tramp." Rebecca showed him her picture, to which Shaun stared at and drank some of his coffee. "See? She even rendered our smart-mouth Brit to silence."

"Do shut-up, Rebecca."

"Yes sir, Simon Cowell."

I grabbed the laptop from Rebecca and checked Olivia's profile. From what Rebecca had taken off of Abstergo's "employee" server, I could see that Olivia Hobbs was, in fact, a willing Templar. Her family had been as such since the mid-eighteenth-century.

And, as an "employee" of Abstergo, her ancestor was—.

My breath caught in my throat. _Diana_. I _knew_ there was something to those blonde curls that I hated!

"Che cazzo cagna traditore!" I swore in anger. It was in Italian, since I didn't want Rebecca or Shaun to know what I was on about. "Do we have a way to track Jeremy?"

"Actually, I was just checking." Rebecca smiled and pulled up another file. "From the looks of it, her last known location was Las Vegas, Nevada. I'm willing to bet my right hand that she's taking Jeremy there. A flight actually just left, and from what I can see…" Rebecca typed a while longer. "Yep. They got on the plane. It looks like Jeremy's drugged, but nothing serious enough to let anyone know that he is."

"Get me tickets online," I told her. "Use the account I have here in New York. I'm heading to Vegas."

"Just don't take too long," Shaun said as he finished his coffee. "I don't like the idea of being alone with Bill for very long."

"Here here," Rebecca acknowledged.

_**1511**_

__The graveyard was small, but surrounded by trees and flowers. If anyone had passed through the graveyard, not knowing what it was, then they would only see the gravestones as undersized pillars. In the middle of the graveyard was a strong old tree, its branches reaching higher than any of the buildings surrounding it.

Here, no one would be able to find me for hours. Well, unless they asked Yusuf. But that didn't matter. I put a bouquet of flowers at the tree's base, as I usually did at Malik, Sef and Maria's graves. I lowered my hood and touched the tree, rubbing it softly as I remembered.

"Has it really been three-hundred seven years?" I asked the tree. "I am sure it has been longer. Three-hundred seven eternities, maybe." I crouched at its base and activated my hidden blade. "Pardon me, amico, but I have to leave a marking as to why I am here. I hope you will not mind."

It seemed silly to speak to a tree so, but it was important to me, so I did it. Quickly, I carved Chara's name into the tree, including her year of birth and death. I had planted that tree years ago, when we buried Chara's body in Kostantiniyye. She had told me once about how she'd wanted to be buried in ground where a tree would be grown, so that her death could bring some life.

At the time, it had seemed strange to me how someone so young and full of life could be thinking about their death. Now, I knew that she was simply cautious. Anything could happen, and the worst did.

"Ah well. I guess I should get back to Ezio. That idiota is probably flirting with Sofia… again." Despite my annoyance, the thought made me smile. "Farewell, Chara. I will see you again soon, sorella."


	16. What Happens in Vegas

Chapter Fifteen:

What Happens in Vegas

_**1205**_

__"Hold this position!" Altair yelled to Malik.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he snapped back. "It is a bit difficult since you practically woke up the entire camp!"

"I can see that you two are getting along!" Maria said, stabbing her sword into a Templar. "Come! Suna has Ahdara! We need to cover her to the horses!"

Altair and Malik agreed as I sprinted past them, just barely getting out of the way of some arrows. Ahdara seemed too light to me as I carried her. I clenched my fists as I thought about A'hd, her father. How could he be so cruel to someone who shared his blood?

I got to the horses and quickly put Ahdara in the saddle. The sounds of battle were getting closer, and we would only have a few minutes to leave while the Templars regrouped and gathered their forces. I hopped up behind Ahdara and grabbed onto the reins.

"Grandmaster! I am ready!" I called.

"Malik, Maria, you go first!" Altair commanded.

They listened and expertly jumped onto their mounts. When I saw Altair come running to his horse, I spurred mine on. Maria, Malik and Altair followed closely. On the cliffs, we had to be wary of the loose rocks and the archers, but we soon got passed it all.

It took us a while to reach Masyaf, but that was because of the treacherous terrain and darkness. The horses, tired as they were, took us all the way up the hill to the keep. As soon as we dismounted, they collapsed in exhaustion. I was ready to do so as well, but I caught Ahdara and brought her inside to a vacant room.

Darim bolted inside just as I laid her down. "Suna, go rest. I've already volunteered to watch over your cousin. Sef will help as well."

"But—!"

"No buts!" Darim looked about as stern as his mother. "Go. Rest. I will take care of things here."

Reluctantly, I left Ahdara's room. "Chased-out by a twelve-year-old…" I muttered, frowning. Still, I knew he was right. It was time for rest. I hadn't rested since I was stabbed through the heart… if you could even call that rested.

I bumped into Abbas as I made my way to my room. He glared at me, as he always had. I was sure that he still could not comprehend that a woman had made it to the rank that took him years to obtain in so short a time. I remembered when Altair had told me his intentions to make me a Master Assassin, even though I was fourteen. I was against it. I argued with him endlessly, but then he made a statement I could not counter, and I submitted.

_"Those who believe that they are not ready for such things actually are. They have shown no ambition towards achieving it. Suna, whenever you get a rank, all you ever say is that it is simply a title for a name, and that it holds no meaning for you. Why then, do you argue against another rank? Does this one actually mean something?"_

I knew that Altair had a reason for giving me my rank. After that, I did not question him. I trusted him, and I hoped that he would come to see how much I did, if he did not already.

Either way, Abbas disliked me. I saw no reason to speak to him if he did, even to find out why.

_**2012**_

__After I'd called-in a few favours, I made my way into a taxi that would take me to the Strip. Las Vegas was always busy there, so it made a perfect cover for Templar activity. Plus, a weirdo in an outfit like mine would only be thought of as a street-performer. Easy cover.

"Okay Jared," I said as the taxi drove away, leaving me in front of the Excalibur hotel, "gimme the intel Rebecca sent you."

Into my earpiece, I heard Jared groan. _"Crazy… Well, she sent a location that I'm not totally sure of."_

"What is it?"

_"The top of the Empire State Building. You know? At the New York, New York?"_

"I know the one. I'm looking right at it."

Jared sighed at the other end. _"Good for you. The jet's ready to extract you guys when you need it. Just stay on this channel, and don't shut it off."_

"Okay, I got it." I smirked, knowing how much Jared hated to change different channels.

_"And hey, try not to get caught in another explosion. You almost gave me a heart-attack that one time when you walked into the base covered in bandages like a mummy."_ The thought made me laugh. Oh, the memories I'd had with Jared and his team…

"No promises." When Jared was silent at the other end, I made my way to the New York, New York, taking the ramp above traffic. Once I got in, I was momentarily distracted by the hot dogs before I started to explore.

I was outfitted for nearly any situation. My robes, it seemed, had a few surprises built into it. Lucy's gift… or her last gift, rather. I'd found the robe blueprints and instructions inside the box they'd been in, when Lucy had given them to me in Monteriggioni.

I found my way to the elevator and pressed the button to take me to the highest floor. I was sure that there would be stairs to the lab where they were most likely keeping Jeremy.

_How the technology has advanced,_ I thought absently.

_"The world seems to change quickly. Look—do you see that? The birds are already heading south. Winter's coming."_

I shoved those thoughts out of my head as I got off of the elevator. How much longer would I have to live? Sometimes, I just wanted to die, but I knew my duty, and I promised to fulfill it. No matter what.

_"Then I will make the best of _this_ moment, Sara Taylor."_

_ Goddammit would you just get out of my head! _I snapped in my mind, and forced the thoughts out.

I hadn't even realized that I'd just started up the stairs and already killed two guards. I had to admit; sometimes, it was scary how natural killing was to me. I ignored it, wondering why my feelings were suddenly bubbling back up to the surface. I'd known that I was always easy to read, but my true emotions had been locked up deep inside of me, until Walter. And then I buried them again, like I always had.

Two men in blue jumpsuits suddenly lunged at me in the stairwell. I reacted swiftly and stabbed them with my hidden blades through their throats. That done, I charged up the steps and avoided any more encounters with the guards, but I felt that the security cameras were already on me.I had no idea where the lab would be up there, but I had a feeling I'd know soon.

And hey, I was right.

I burst through a door at the top of the stairs and skidded to a halt, as several dozen guns trained their sights on me. Two people swiftly grabbed my arms and stopped me from moving, as an old man in a lab coat started to walk towards me.

"I've heard about you," he said. "My colleague in Italy spoke of a girl who escaped with his former assistant and an idiot girl, whose head was so thick it was difficult to get her ancestor's memories."

"Good for me, then," I replied, smirking. "All I want is Jeremy Stevens. He comes with me, and you Templars leave him alone."

I heard a few chuckles around the room. The old man didn't look impressed.

"That doesn't side in our favour, Miss Warner." The old man took several steps towards me, until he was less than an arm's length away. "I suggest you come with us. Quietly."

I relaxed, letting my shoulders sag. The grip on my arms relaxed and I immediately elbowed both men holding me in their noses. A gunshot rang out, but I was already sliding underneath the guards. One of the guys I'd elbowed was shot in the head and fell to the ground with a _thump!_, shocking the men with the guns.

I raced away, stabbing anyone who got in my way with my hidden blades. I eventually made my way to Jeremy, who was lying in an Animus. On the screen beside it, images were flashing so quickly I couldn't even determine what era he was visiting. He looked like hell, with bags under his eyes and a five o'clock shadow on his face.

I deactivated the Animus and pulled him up so he was sitting on the edge. "Jeremy! How many fingers am I holding up?"

Groggily, he looked at my hands and smiled. "Forty."

"I'm not even sure if you're joking." I helped Jeremy off of the table and slung his arm around my shoulders, so he could balance better. "Damn. What the hell'd they do to you?"

"Not sure," he replied, rubbing his head with his free hand. "I just wanna leave."

We didn't take two steps before the doors slid open, revealing the person I'd secretly wanted to see. Dressed in black leather with a white cross on her torso, Olivia Hobbs smiled her sickly smile and cracked the knuckles on her fists.

"Hello, Samantha," she said. "I've been looking forward to this."

I led Jeremy to a chair and sat him down. "Wait here."

He grabbed onto my sleeve. "Just to let you know: she's not my girlfriend."

"I figured that much out by myself." Jeremy released me, and I faced Olivia.

"Any last words from the descendant of the Assassin bitch who killed me?" she asked.

I was confused for a second, but it all clicked when I remembered what Rebecca told me. "So, you're not Olivia."

"It's a stupid name anyway," she said, flipping her hair. "I hated pretending to be her."

"You didn't really have to change your personality." I activated my hidden blades, but other than that I didn't move. "If I may, who am I speaking to? I have a hunch, but I don't wanna embarrass myself."

She smiled. "Diana Grace."

"Weird." I smiled back at her. "If you're dead, then you shouldn't even be speaking right now."

"It's the consciousness that takes over," she explained. "My consciousness was triggered by fighting Assassins. Now, Olivia is gone. Forever. And I get to live again." She activated two hidden blades of her own, though they had serrated edges. "And I get to have revenge by killing-off the bloodline of the bitch who killed me."

"How do you know it's even my bloodline?"

Olivia—Diana—smirked. "The way you move; the way you seem to look right through people, even when your hood is up; the way you smile…" She shook her head. "Everything about you reminds me about _her_."

"Well, looks like your observation skills haven't changed a bit. Death certainly hasn't stopped you."

It was Diana's turn to look confused. "Pardon…?"

I ran at her, but she just barely managed to stop my blades from stabbing her face. "Sara Taylor's bloodline belongs to her and her alone," I told her calmly. "She never passed it on. She never had a child."

Diana pushed me back and then violently tried to stab my gut. I parried and locked blades with her again.

"What are you saying…?" Diana asked as we strained against each other.

I smiled. "Sara Taylor never died. In fact, she hasn't died in over eight-hundred years."

Diana's eyes widened. "So… you…?"

"Hello again, Diana," I greeted. "Let's see what death has taught you."


	17. The Traitor, Resurrected

Chapter Sixteen:

The Traitor, Resurrected

_**1511**_

__"Cappadocia?" I repeated, taken aback. "Ezio, you're going to Cappadocia?"

Ezio nodded. "Si. Prince Suleiman is granting me a ship that will me manned by Piri Reis, and we are leaving tonight."

I bit my lip. "Would you like me to accompany you?"

"No. I need you to do something else for me…" Ezio smiled. It reminded me of how he used to smile when he was younger. "Sofia needs to be protected while I'm gone. I will ask Yusuf to keep his eye on her, but since you already know her, I would like you to stay close to her. Palaiologos may attack her to get to me, and I want her safe."

I smiled at Ezio. "Idiota. You really feel that strongly for her?"

"W-Well…"

I held up a hand. "Ezio Auditore, it's about time."

With a look that was almost relief, Ezio embraced me tightly. "Grazie, Sofia. For all you have done, and all you will do. Buona fortuna."

"Good luck in your travels," I replied as we let each other go. "And try not to kill yourself, old man."

"_You_ are the old lady here!"

I smirked. "No one else knows that, amico mio."

_**1205**_

Two full days passed while I waited for Ahdara to awaken. What could the Templars have done to her while I was in Masyaf? I was only… unconscious… for a few hours, and then a few more to get to the camp!

"Do not worry, Suna," Altair told me as we walked through the keep. "I spent a little time with Ahdara when A'hd was in our custody before. She is just like you, so she will no doubt be fine. Just give her time."

The emotions on my face did not change, however. I was still worried. "It seems that I am still a child, Grandmaster. I don't have the hold over my emotions like you do."

"You think I have hold over my emotions?" Altair smiled and laughed, then patted me on the back. "Suna, you must remember that I am still disciplining myself as well! I rush into things and it is sometimes hard for me to think. That is what Maria is for: she keeps me in line."

I chuckled. "She does a good job of it. Sometimes I even doubt _you're_ the one running the Order."

Altair laughed at my tiny joke and then took me to his study up the stairs. His expression changed from before and instantly turned sad. "We… need to talk, Suna."

He gestured to a seat across from his desk, and as I sat down, so did he. "Of course, Grandmaster. What do you wish of me?"

"We must speak of what will happen, now that we've found out what the Apple—." Altair gulped, though I'm sure he didn't think I noticed. "—What _I_ did to you." I was silent as Altair cleared his throat. "It was Maria, Ahdara, Malik and I who saw you get stabbed through the heart, as well as A'hd and the Templar leader. I can tell by your lie to our Order about A'hd missed your vital organs that you wish to keep this quiet."

I nodded. "Abbas is already trying to put you under suspicion for holding that thing," I said. "If anyone learned that you used it to keep me alive, and now I cannot die by means of a blade, then you would surely be in a bad position against Abbas."

"You are an idiot."

I was caught by surprise. "Pardon?"

"You are thinking of my position instead of yourself. You should be angry with me. You should be furious. You should want to hit me over the head with a chair, but still you wait for my orders as if nothing has changed." He rubbed the stubble on his face. "Don't you regret it?"

"Regret what, Grandmaster?"

"My bringing you into the Order," he answered simply. "Things may have been different. You probably would have found your sister, and maybe she wouldn't have died."

"I would be dead now if you hadn't saved me that day, twelve years ago." I smiled. "Grandmaster, how could I regret the only life I have ever known?"

Altair looked distant, as if he were recollecting a memory. "In time, you may come to."

"I'll die of old age before _that_ happens."

_**2012**_

__"_Liar_!"

Diana attacked me ferociously, her hidden blades barely missing my body. I remained calm and deflected her blows, keeping my face like a stone.

"Why would I lie? What have I to gain?"

I grabbed Diana's wrist and twisted. She cried out, but attacked me with her other blade, forcing me back. "Jeremy! You have Jeremy to gain! You want to confuse me so I may fall onto your blade!"

"What I'm curious about is why the guards haven't gotten here yet," I told her.

She was panting, obviously because she'd over-exerted herself already. _That was always her problem, _I thought with a frown. _All brawn and no brains._

"I switched the tapes when you escaped from them," she admitted, regaining her breath. "I wanted to fight you alone."

"Like when you gave me that note, letting me know that you'd be by the Big Ben to fight me."

Diana clenched her fists. "How did you…?"

"I told you—I'm the person who killed you. I drove a blade through your throat and fell into the river with you."

"And I say you've done your research well! But everyone knows that no one can live forever!"

"Says the idiot who just got resurrected, in a manner of speaking." I grinned. "You know, these days we have blonde jokes. I can imagine all sorts of jokes coming into my head, since I know who you are, and what you're like."

Diana ran at me, screaming a battle-cry. I grabbed her right wrist and flipped her onto her back, using only her momentum. I knocked the wind right out of her.

"I'm guessing by your reaction that you've heard a few already," I observed with a smirk.

"They're annoying and worthless!" she spat viciously.

I accidentally forgot, just for a moment, that we were enemies. It felt like we were sparring again, to be honest. Diana took that chance to grab my leg and bring it out from under me. My head slammed against the ground and blurred my vision. I closed my eyes to stop it, but I felt Diana on top of me. I blindly reached out and grabbed her biceps to stop her, and rolled. She got the same idea, and so we were rolling around like idiots for a while. I swear, I heard Jeremy laughing!

One of her hidden blades were pressing up against my throat. At the last minute, I adjusted her arm. She sliced the side of my face, just underneath my eye, and stabbed harmlessly into my hood. I kicked her off of me in retaliation and raised my head. My hood wasn't on my head, so I reached for it, but all of a sudden a huge light blinded my eyes.

_A flash-bang?_ I covered my eyes and heard Jeremy scream all of a sudden. By the time my eyes adjusted, I saw him lying on the floor, holding his head in his hands as if a giant migraine was rendering him helpless. I'd had them before, so I probably wasn't that far-off.

"Jeremy!" I ran to him, hoping and praying that Diana had gotten caught in her own trap. "Are you okay? Talk to me, dammit!"

His eyes squeezed shut. "I… It feels like I'm dying!"

"How would you know how that feels like?" Diana snapped as she appeared behind me. "You're nothing but a child!"

I brought my hidden blades up to defend us both, but where I'd anticipated blades, I met with a foot to my face. I hit the ground again, the wind knocked out of me.

"But what you're experiencing is you ancestor," she said, smiling. "I'm not sure which one of them it's going to be, but they'll have to be strong. And since you're a child, you won't be able to fight back. I suggest you just lie down and be melted from existence like a good little boy."

"Goddammit Diana! He belongs in this time! It's wrong for you to be here! It's wrong for _me_ to be here! He's the only normal person in this room, so leave him alone!"

"You don't get it, do you?" Diana smirked. "With people from the past coming to the future, we'll have a better idea how to defeat our enemies!"

I leapt to my feet. I could still help Jeremy! I could! But first, I needed Diana out of the way.

"I'm not holding back any more, Diana!" I roared. "This time, we'll settle this for good!"

"You're still going to pretend you're my old friend? Fine! Let's see how you fight!"

Our blades locked again, but I pushed hard and scratched her face easily. I brought my leg up and kicked her hard in the gut, then pinned her to a wall. She pushed back, slicing at every spot that she used to, knowing they were my hardest to defend. It seemed she recognized my fighting style.

The next hit I got in was at her hip, where I sliced after missing her abdomen. She backed-off, probably to gauge her next move. I took that chance to crouch beside Jeremy, while keeping my eyes on Diana.

"C'mon, Jeremy! You can kick your ancestor's ass! I mean, you sent that one guy flying a few feet with just your thick skull!"

For some reason, Jeremy relaxed. Was his pain getting duller? Was he winning?

"Heh… Maybe because… of how stubborn I am…"

_Oh God,_ I thought desperately, taking a second to look at him. Paler than usual, and almost sickly. _Jeremy! Goddammit! Stay with me!_

"T-That's what I was implying," I said, smiling down at him. "Look, you've got to get through this!"

He chuckled. "Nah… I won't."

"Don't say that!"

With a smile, Jeremy flicked my forehead. "I'm glad… that I know who I am… and where I come from… You helped with that… I won't forget it." His smile broadened. "And I… got to see… who was under the hood."

"You sound like you're ready to die."

"I am." _Why are you smiling you goddamn idiot? _"I guess… I'll see you on the… other side."

I grabbed his shoulders and started to shake him, just as I glimpsed Diana grabbing another flash-bang. "You idiot! Don't say that! Don't say that!"

The flash-bang went off. I released Jeremy, just as his body went limp. Did he die? Was his ancestor actually there, or did they both perish? I was so confused and angry, but as soon as the flash-bang was gone, it was replaced by a smoke-screen. I couldn't see anything, and I was coughing. As if it would help, I brought up my hood while I gritted my teeth.

_It looks like my efforts were for nothing,_ I though absently as I tried to watch out for Diana. _I'm such an idiot!_

I saw her blades before I saw her. The flash of steel in the smoke as they were brought down. I realized that my hidden blades were in their stationary position, since I hadn't wanted to wound Jeremy. With no time for me to react, as if in slow motion, I raised my arms to shield my face.

But the blow never came.

As the smoke died out, I saw Jeremy holding Diana's blades, blood slowly dripping from the wounds on his hands. She looked just as surprised as I was.

"J-Jeremy?" He didn't seem to hear me.

"My apologies," he told Diana. "I don't enjoy hitting women, but I'll make an exception for you."

He brought his leg up and kicked Diana hard in the chest. She slammed into the wall and held her head as it started to bleed.

"I remember you," he seethed, "and so I'll show you no mercy!"

_Uh-oh. Now what?_


	18. One of us is Going Down

Chapter Seventeen:

One of us is Going Down

_**1511**_

__"I heard that the tower fell and the chain was lowered!" Sofia exclaimed. "Can you imagine seeing such a spectacle?"

"A spectacle? S-Sofia, are you okay…?"

Sofia laughed at my face and waved it off. "Strambo! I was just thinking that people never get to see a piece of history fall… literally. It would have been exciting."

"Not to mention that half of the Turkish fleet was wiped-out by their own Greek fire cannon."

Sofia went rigid. "Mio dio!" And just when I thought she was about to go on a rant about Constantinople's safety, she surprised me again. "Greek fire! Oh, how I would have _loved_ to see such a thing!"

I smiled and laughed. It had been only a day since Ezio left, and so I decided to visit Sofia. I realized just how much time I hadn't spent with her, and I regretted it. She was interesting and surprising, just as Ezio had described. From a certain point of view, I guess, I was the same way.

"Poco Sofia! Come here!" Sofia called from the back.

I hadn't even noticed that she left the front of the shop. I went to the back and smiled. "Poco Sofia? That's a new one!"

"Well, this confuses me less. I feel like I'm talking to myself all the time, so I gave you a nickname." Nevertheless, she smiled and tried to hide her laughter.

"Grazie mille," I said sarcastically. Sofia was poking around her books, which immediately reminded me of one of the main reasons I was in her shop. "Ah, Sofia! I nearly forgot!"

"What is it?" Sofia asked as she sat on the desk with me.

I pulled a book out from under my belt (where I usually held anything) and presented it to Sofia. "I thought you would like this."

Sofia handled the book with care and looked it over. Her eyes widened, and she smiled. "Poco Sofia! How did you get such a book? These editions are not even made anymore! They date back to the early Crusades!"

"I came across it," I said, not really lying. "It was a good book, so I thought I'd give it to you. You can put it with the collection that Ezio got you."

At the mention of Ezio, Sofia blushed. "S-Si, I shall. Grazie, poco Sofia. 'The Art of War' is an amazing gift, and in this condition… Grazie." She smiled. "Oops. I already said that, didn't I?"

I nodded with a smile and then yawned. "Mio dio! Tired already? I'm getting weak in my old age!"

Sofia was giggling at me, but practically skipping around with the book I gave her. I felt something I hadn't noticed before in my hood, so I felt around, but I couldn't find it.

"Erm… Sofia? Could you help me with something?"

Sofia put the book down and came over. "Si. What do you need?"

"There's something in my hood, and I can't seem to find it…"

Sofia laughed. "Well, take off your hood and I'll grab it." When Sofia was behind me, I took my hood off and let her feel around for a bit. "Aha! Successo!" Sofia came around the desk and presented me with a bullet, which (apparently) had been caught in my hair. "Though I am unsure as to why _this_ was so close to you…"

"Call it bad luck," I said, taking the bullet and examining it. "I rarely have a moment's peace."

"But Kostantiniyye is a place where you can relax—."

"I don't like it here," I admitted. "There are… many memories here that I would love to leave behind."

Sofia, as ever, was thirsty for knowledge and sat on the desk again. "Like what?"

I started to fidget with my fingers. "My sister was killed here, many years ago. She's buried here."

Sofia sadly looked down. "Mi dispiace. I do not know that bond between siblings, but I can still only imagine how you feel."

"I could have saved her!" I blurted. "That's the worst part. She would not have been hurt if I had stayed with her, but no! Sono fottutamente stupido per aver lasciato il suo!"

Suddenly, Sofia smiled. "Poco Sofia, you blame yourself for something that was set in stone. Continuing to dwell on such a thing will only make you bitter. And from what I see, you still have some years left."

It occurred to me that I'd never taken my hood off in front of Sofia before. I chuckled. "Sofia, you have no idea."

Still holding her smile, Sofia held up my shortblade in front of me. "Interesting blade, poco Sofia."

My eyes widened. "Porca puttana! How did you—?" I grabbed the blade and smiled. "Ezio."

"Si," she said, nodding. "He told me to bug you a bit."

"Funny. He told me that same thing."

_**2012**_

__Jeremy grabbed a pen that was on one of the tables and charged at Diana. I tackled him just in time, as I could see Diana was only feigning being hurt. She'd have stabbed him if I hadn't.

Diana came at us, and so I kicked her in the jaw as she was grabbing something else on her belt. She dropped it, and it unluckily landed beside Jeremy and I. I reflexively threw it away, and then I noticed what it was. The grenade hit the wall beside the windows looking outside, and exploded. The ground from underneath us shook as the supports on our floor started to break. I tried to get my balance while stopping Jeremy from attacking Diana with that stupid pen, but I tripped and slammed into the wall near where the grenade exploded.

The wall fell backwards and the ground sloped. Jeremy grabbed hold of a wire bristling with electricity and leapt after me as I started to fall. He grabbed onto my hand just in time, and we hung there on the edge, hundreds of metres above the ground.

Diana, still safely above us, grabbed another grenade and tentatively rolled it towards us.

_ Fuck! _

"Let go of the wire!" I ordered as I activated the jet's homing signal. _Goddammit Jared you'd better get this! _

"What?" he exclaimed.

"Do it _now_!"

With a nod, Jeremy released the wire. The grenade fell after us, but I grabbed onto Jeremy and activated the only parachute that was built-into my robes, courtesy of Lucy. We floated away from the grenade, and it exploded harmlessly in the air, only breaking a few windows.

I didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the jet picked us up as we were still floating. Tired, I just laid on the ground for a while and closed my eyes while Jared tended to Jeremy.

"_Never_… again…" I panted.

Jared smiled and finished bandaging Jeremy, though with some difficulty, because Jeremy kept trying to come over to me.

"You, my friend, are the bravest stupid person I've ever known," he commented.

I was going to reply, but I heard something in the storage room. I got to my feet and looked in that direction, only to meet face-to-face Diana.

_Shit! She must've gotten in through one of the emergency doors!_

"You're not getting away from me!" she roared, and grabbed my robes.

She shoved me out of the plane through one of the doors she hadn't used and followed after me. I activated my hidden blades and fended her off as we sailed through the sky, while watching my escape become smaller and smaller.

"Die, you bitch!" Diana yelled over the wind, and stabbed her right hidden blade into my heart.

I grabbed hold of her arm and shoved the blade deeper inside of me. My face was only a few inches from hers as my hood fell from my face. She stared into my eyes, her expression (at first) steady and angry, but as we continued to fall, it turned into fear and realization.

"You'll have to do better than that!" I told her. "Do you finally accept what you see?"

She plunged her other blade into my guts and twisted. I cried out in agony, but held her gaze again. Diana deactivated her blades and activated a parachute she had, and yet she forgot I was still holding onto one of her arms. I let go for only an instant, so I could grab onto the top of her parachute. I ripped the top with my hidden blade, and we started our plunge again.

Diana screamed, and the way her arms were flailing made her fall only faster.

_Rest in peace, _I thought as she hit the ground.

Instead of hitting the ground, the jet had circled back around and just barely managed to catch me at the correct velocity so I wouldn't break any bones. Oh, how I loved the pilot.

I crawled into the jet and lay on the floor again, despite the fact that my blood was pooling around me.

I laughed. "Okay… _This_ time… never again…"

Jeremy was the one to come over and help me to my feet, steadying me as the jet started to fly faster. "Are you injured? You have blood around you, but I'm not sure if it's yours…"

I waved him off. "I'm fine. Just a scratch."

"That doesn't look like a damn scratch!" Jared snapped as Jeremy sat me down into a seat. "I'm getting the med-kit! This is serious!"

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. How long had it been since I'd done something as simple as that? I'd always had my hood up, and when I had amnesia, I did it all the time!

Jeremy studied me as I rested my head in my hands, the heel of them rubbing my eyes.

"Take a picture," I told him. "It lasts longer."

Jeremy moved so Jared could bring the med-kit to me. "Okay! So, looks like it really isn't anything serious. Your upper-chest is a bit nicked, and your stomach…"

"Look, I'll put the bandages on."

"I'm pretty hesitant about that. You remember what I said, right?" Jared grinned and handed me the med-kit, then looked at Jeremy. "This is the guy you went after?"

I almost nodded, but then I bit my lip. "Well… kinda."

"Kinda? How do you get 'kinda'?"

"I already explained to you about the situation we'd be in if I didn't get there in time," I told Jared, a bit of an edge on my voice. "Well, we're in that situation now."

Both of us looked at Jeremy, who had his face glued to the window. "W-We're flying!" he exclaimed.

"See?" I said to Jared.

He frowned. "Damn… I thought he could only be here with some sort of a trigger?"

"I guess when Diana and I were fighting, he remembered something." I clenched my fists. "I should've just gotten him outta there… I'm such a damn idiot!"

I felt a hand on my shoulder, but it wasn't Jared's. "He didn't want you to be sad about this," Jeremy said. "While you were fighting her, we actually managed to have a conversation before he died."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" I glared at him. "You shouldn't even be here! Jeremy was a young man, who'd barely started living, and now he doesn't exist! Spero che tua madre ha un attacco di cuore!" I bit my lip. "Wait a sec, that won't work… she's already dead." Instead of sitting around and looking like a fool, I grabbed the med-kit and excused myself to a private room. _Damn… Now what do I do with him?_

_ **1205**_

__"Ahdara!"

She smiled at me. "Suna!" She held me tightly, though I had to be more careful with her, since Maria had told me she had bruises on her sides from being beaten. "I thought you were dead!"

"A nice trick," I told her, and then held her at arms length. "I am sorry I could not get to you sooner."

Ahdara smiled and waved it off. "It was nothing I couldn't handle."

Malik was there visiting Ahdara with me, but I was sure he wanted to be somewhere else. "Are you well?"

"I am better," she told him.

I stood there like a fool, not knowing what to say. "Um… We have your father in custody. We'll be deciding what to do with him soon. I was wondering if you had anything to say."

Ahdara frowned. "What father? I don't have one."

"And so we have our answer," Malik said. "Come, Suna. Let Ahdara rest."

I nodded and smiled at Ahdara. "I will visit often."

"I don't doubt it."


	19. Black Clouds

Chapter Eighteen:

Black Clouds

_**2012**_

__I secured the bandages around my stomach and upper-chest area, wincing at the tightness. _Damn… I'll have to be more careful._

I sighed and quickly replaced my under shirt. It was lucky that Jared had a few spares that were my size. I didn't want to walk around with bloodstains all the time. Speaking of which, I had to clean out my robes. After about an hour of furiously scrubbing at the stains, I was sewing up the rips from being stabbed.

The door started to open, so I grabbed a throwing knife and tossed it at the door, where it embedded itself into the door. "Knock, dammit!"

Jeremy (or his body, as I didn't know what the hell to call _that_ guy) poked his head in and glanced at the knife, smiling faintly. "You could have killed me, you know."

"You've died already. There'd be no difference."

He made a face. "Isn't that a bit cold?"

"Look—you just took over the body of someone who was barely into their life. I don't have much sympathy for that." I sighed. "People like us shouldn't be here…"

"Hm? 'Us'?"

I slammed my mouth shut and mentally slapped myself repeatedly. "Never mind! Just go away!"

Jeremy still came inside and pulled the knife out of the door, and then he handed it to me. "I've remembered my life," he told me.

"Good for you."

I knew that he knew I was making it difficult for him. But he still smiled a devilish smile and sat on the bed with me, where I was working. I ignored him and continued to work at my robes, but I pricked my finger with the damn needle and ended up getting more blood on the robes.

"Goddammit!" I snapped angrily. "I _just_ got the bloodstains out!"

"Not very good with a needle, are you?"

"I never learned how, so every time I repair things, I do what I can. Usually, I send it in to get repaired, but we're flying right now…" I grabbed a rag and furiously scrubbed the blood out.

I jumped when Jeremy started to finger the scar on my left shoulder. "Hm… Is it still sensitive?"

"Of course it's sensitive! It was a bad wound!" I finally got back to sewing and started muttering curses under my breath.

Jeremy leaned in close, so much so that it was uncomfortable, but… _still sensitive? Wait, did I know him?_

"Why're you in here? If you have questions, ask them, or leave me alone!"

He chuckled and grabbed my hands, forcing me to look at him (or, rather, glare at him). "I must take offence to that."

My eyes widened as I looked at him. I hadn't noticed any of the similarities before, only because I was still fixed on _him_, and Jeremy was…!

_Oh God no. God no God no God no God no God no God no!_

"It looks like we got our second chance, Sara Taylor."

_**1512**_

__"Ezio should be back soon," I assured Sofia. "It's only been a few months. I'm sure his business is done."

"I hope so…" Sofia muttered. "Ezio is… well, he's important to me."

"Capisco."

We sat there in silence for a time, before the door slammed open. Yusuf stood in the doorway, covered in sweat.

"Sofia! Get her out of here!" he ordered.

I looked at Sofia, and she was looking back at me. I shrugged, not knowing which one of us he was talking to.

Yusuf understood. "The short one! Sofia, get the taller Sofia out of here!"

"Why?" Sofia asked, standing from her seat. "What is going on?"

Yusuf didn't have enough time to explain, as Byzantine soldiers shoved him through the doorway. "By order of Prince Ahmet, you are all under arrest! Surrender, or die!"

"Sofia! Run!" I roared, grabbing her elbow and leading her to the back as Yusuf started his battle with the soldiers. Unfortunately, the area under the Polo's old trading post could only be opened with a hookblade. "Cazzo!" I swore. "Is there another way out?"

She shook her head frantically. "N-No!"

Yusuf ran into the room, his sword drawn and blood coating it. "Hurry! We have to—!"

Yusuf fell to the ground as a dagger lodged itself into his back. He died instantly. Sofia screamed as he did.

I drew my shortblade as the Byzantines came into the back. "Bastardi! Die!"

"Poco Sofia!"

I held them off, using everything I had learned. I had to keep them away from Sofia, or else Ezio…!

My thoughts distracted me, and a Byzantine slammed the pommel of his axe into my head. My brain jarred unpleasantly, and I blacked-out.

_**1205**_

__"Are you sure you will be okay?" I asked, my hand squeezing her shoulder.

Ahdara nodded. "I will, cousin," she answered confidently. "I think it best if I leave here. I do not wish to bring anymore trouble with me."

"But you do not bring any trouble—!"

"You heard what the Templars said," Ahdara cut-in. "It was because of me that you were all attacked. I will find a way to redeem myself and repay you."

"Do not be a stranger," Maria said. "You will always be welcome in Masyaf."

Ahdara smiled. "I appreciate that, Maria. I will visit when I can." Ahdara turned away and took a few steps, but turned back. "Suna, I was right, it seems."

"About what?" I asked.

"Assassins are better than the Templars. Now that I know this, I can move forward without doubts. Thank-you all."

My family and I waved as she left, and she waved back. It was strange to see her walking away with a satchel on her shoulder, when I felt that she belonged in Masyaf with me and my family.

"Well now, maybe we can have some peace," Malik said with a smile.

"Oh please," Altair said. "We still have an angry army coming at us in a few days' time. We might as well prepare."

_**1512**_

__I was shaken awake, my head spinning and hammering like a drum. I peeled my eyes open and groggily regarded Ezio and a few of the Turkish Assassins.

"Salve," I greeted. "Now, who was the bastardo who knocked me out?"

"Are you all right?" Ezio asked.

I nodded and sat up. "Si. I am. Let's not waste any time then."

"Mi scusi?"

I grinned and stood up, using the wall to help balance myself until everything stopped spinning. "We have to get la tua bella donna!"

Ezio nodded and stood up. There was a note in his hand, and after reading it a few times he crumpled it up and left it on the floor.

"Take care of Yusuf," Ezio told the Turkish Assassins. "There is something I must get."

At first I thought he was talking about Sofia, but we soon found ourselves at the Assassin Headquarters.

"I'm trading the Masyaf Keys for Sofia's life," Ezio explained as he put each one into a bag carefully.

"But you will go after them again, si?"

"I do not know," Ezio admitted. "If I have the chance, I will take it. If it means Sofia dies, then I forget about the keys."

I nodded in understanding. "Bene. I admit, I am curious about what Altair hid in his library, but I wouldn't trade an innocent life for whatever he left."

"Haven't you been in there before?" Ezio asked.

"Si. I went there to be by myself, read, or go with the other Master Assassins and strategize. We were constantly under attack by over-ambitious Templars back then. That's actually how I met my cousin and uncle."

"I wasn't aware that you had."

"Ah. Did I forget to tell you?"

"You barely tell me a thing, as it is. I've learned about Altair with his keys, and I've only ever seen you twice. You weren't hard to recognize, amico. Though you seemed quite grouchy, to be honest."

"Well, from what I know, the scenes that were revealed to you were not the best times of my life. Not the worst either, but I didn't have much to compare. You saw me stand beside Altair as he killed Abbas, and as he escorted the Polo brothers to safety. Like I said; bad times."

"Capisco," Ezio said.

We climbed onto the broken battlements and faced Ahmet. Two Byzantines flanked him, their swords drawn.

"Ezio Auditore," Ahmet greeted. "It is hard to call you a friend when you have so much bloodlust."

Ezio ignored that comment. "Where's the girl?"

"The keys," Ahmet said, holding out his hand.

"The girl first."

Ahmet motioned upwards. On the tower, a Byzantine was holding onto a struggling Sofia, though she had a bag over her head.

"Sofia!" Ezio exclaimed.

Ahmet, once more, held out his hand. "The keys." Ezio tossed the bag containing the keys to Ahmet. With a smile, Ahmet said, "She's all yours."

Ezio sprinted faster than I'd ever seen to the tower and started to climb like a madman. I struggled to keep up with him, but Ezio had beaten me to the top by the time I was halfway up. When I finally reached the top, Ezio was leaping off of the tower.

I looked at Sofia—or, rather, Azize, an Assassin who had been kidnapped by the Templars. She pointed to Ezio, who was gliding with his parachute towards the real Sofia, who was about to be hung.

I nodded to her and leaped off of the tower, landing in a bed of hay. I popped out and started to sprint the way there, letting the other Assassins take care of the Byzantines who got in my way. I reached Sofia first, just barely ahead of Ezio. I activated my hidden blade and jumped on top of the Byzantine soldier who was in the process of hanging Sofia. He released the rope, and as he did, Ezio slid underneath the falling Sofia and caught her in his arms.

Ezio quickly released Sofia, and she started coughing in an effort to get air back into her lungs. Ezio affectionately rubbed her back, in hopes to make her feel better. I decided to keep an eye out, just in case more Byzantines showed-up.

"Are you hurt?" Ezio asked.

Sofia shook her head. "No, not hurt. But very confused."

"I did not mean to drag you into this. I am sorry." Ezio took her arm and helped her to stand.

"You are not responsible for the actions of other men."

"All this will be over soon," Ezio told her, an edge of urgency touching his voice, "but I need to recover what they have taken."

"I do not understand what is happening, Ezio. Who are these men?"

I ducked, and the gunshot missed me by inches. The bullet imbedded itself into the tree that Sofia was to be hanged upon.

"Run!" Ezio quickly led Sofia to a carriage and helped her onto it, following her as soon as she was set. As Ezio grabbed hold of the reigns, I leapt onto the back of the carriage.

"You weren't going to forget me, were you Auditore?" I asked with a smirk.

Ezio looked back at me and smiled, but then put his full attention to the horses. A few minutes later, Ezio spurred the carriage on.

"We are close! Keep steady!" Ezio said.

I looked to my right and saw Ahmet, his own carriage matching our speed. He noticed us and tried to get the horses to run faster, but I could see how tired and abused they were, even from how far away we were. Behind him was another carriage, though not as large as Ahmet's.

Ezio broke through a fence and nearly pulled-up beside Ahmet. The Prince smiled at us, as if he believed we would surely perish in an instant.

"Well, well! You have come to see me off!" he quipped with a smirk.

Ezio slammed our carriage into the one behind Ahmet. I tried to balance myself, but ended up on my arse anyway.

"Watch where you're driving, idiota!" I snapped, both to Ezio and the Byzantine manning the other carriage.

Horses pulled-up beside us and were taking aim. Before I could steady myself to use my throwing knives, they fired, and one of them clipped Sofia in the shoulder with a shot.

"Sofia!" Ezio exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

"I just got hit in the shoulder!" she snapped forcefully. "It hurts, but I will manage."

Ezio hesitated, but nodded and then continued the fight against the horsemen and the carriage. He slammed into the other carriage, again and again, and finally forced it onto the rocks. The carriage ripped apart and instantly killed the Byzantine driving it. Another carriage came up beside us, so Ezio rammed into them as well, while I tossed some throwing knives at the gunmen on horseback.

We finally made it beside Ahmet. He slammed his carriage (which was twice the size of our own) into ours. Sofia was jarred from her seat, and hung on for dear life onto the carriage.

"Hang on, Sofia!" Ezio released the reigns to help her.

"Look out!" Sofia exclaimed.

We hit the rocks and flew into the air. Ezio grabbed onto the beam connecting the horses to the carriage, and I managed to stay in the back of it. I tried to grab Ezio, but he slipped. My heart stopped as I looked back to try and find Ezio, but I found him holding onto a rope connected to the carriage. Ahmet took his chance and pushed his carriage towards Ezio, but the Mentor was one step ahead of the Prince. Ezio deployed his parachute and connected it to the rope, and so I breathed a sigh of relief.

I grabbed onto Sofia's arm and pulled her into the driver's seat. Ezio would take care of anyone behind us, while I would attack any who got too close, that way Sofia would be free to focus on following Ahmet.

_I hope we do not make a habit of this, _I thought as I clenched my teeth. _These two are going to give me grey hairs before I even reach that age…_


	20. Eastern Journeys

Chapter Nineteen:

Eastern Journeys

_**1217**_

__"The Mongols are approaching rapidly from the East," Altair said to us, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed. "We must stop their threat, lest they overtake us."

Malik rubbed his beard, which was now tinged with grey, but his dark eyes had not lost their spark of observations. "We cannot spare an army of Assassins, Altair. We only have enough to guard Masyaf, and be sent on missions. How do you think to accomplish this?"

"The Assassins in the East are willing to help," Altair pointed out.

"So it would seem." Malik put his hand on the desk. "How long do we have until they should reach Masyaf, should you not depart?"

"Four years, I am guessing."

"Then why do you want to leave now?"

Altair sat in his chair behind the desk. "I believe that the Mongol leader, Genghis Khan, has a Piece of Eden."

Maria, in our stunned silence, was the one who spoke up. "You mean… another Apple?"

Shaking his head, Altair replied, "No. A different Piece of Eden. This one shaped as a sword."

"A Sword of Eden…" Darim muttered. "Then we must hurry! Who will be leaving for this journey?"

Altair looked at all of us; Maria, Malik, Sef, Darim and myself. It seemed he had come to a decision a long time ago, but found it hard to tell us of it.

"Maria, Darim, Suna and myself will be leaving to meet with Qulan Gal, the man leading the Eastern Assassins against Genghis Khan. We leave in three days' time, so be ready to leave." Altair looked at Malik. "In regards to my absence, Malik, you will lead the Assassins here until my return."

Malik did not argue. "I will keep them all in line until you do," was all he said.

I looked at Sef, who, I could see, was ready to argue with his father. It seemed that Altair saw that as well.

"Sef, I am not bringing you with me this time. I know you may think it unfair, but I do not wish to take you away from your wife and children. I could not face them, should the worst happen."

Though young, Sef had become a wise man. He shut his mouth, but I could see he was still upset.

"As I said; be ready to leave in three days' time. That is all."

Malik and Maria stayed behind with Altair while Sef, Darim and I went outside to the courtyard. Sef kicked a rock and swore in frustration.

"Damn! How is it that I never seem to go on a simple mission with you two?" he raged. "I have to stay back! _Again_!"

"This is not a 'simple mission', brother," Darim said in an attempt to calm him down. "Any one of us could be killed. Our father is right in his judgement; he does not want your children to grow up fatherless."

Sef swore again, this time knowing that his older brother was right. He glanced at me, and then sighed.

"Well, sister, what do you think about these arrangements?" he asked.

I looked at my brothers thoughtfully. "I trust the Grandmaster, even though I would rather have _all_ of my family by my side. It just feels better that way." I sighed. "Not much we can do about it. Just listen to him, and do as he says."

"Why do I even ask for your opinions…?" Sef wondered aloud.

Darim smiled and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Because, little brother, you still want to find ways to beat the Shadow-Step."

Sef started yelling at his brother, something that I rolled my eyes at. This was just another normal day in Masyaf. After thwarting the Templars a few days after my cousin Ahdara left, we had enjoyed a steady peace. A'hd was executed, though we offered him a chance at redemption. In response, he spat at Altair. It was Maria who brought the sword on A'hd's neck, and I had no doubt that it was for me. I hid my eagerness to see A'hd dead for what he did, and didn't let them out until I was alone in my room. Twelve years later, we received a few letters a year from Ahdara, and we were an Order truly hidden in shadow.

"Suna, before you start to get ready to leave…"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Sef?"

"One last race." Sef smiled confidently. "I want to see if old age has slowed you down! How old are you now, dear sister?"

I smirked, though I was pretty sure it was one of the rarer ones that I wore that spelled out, "I am going to kill you."

"Thirty-one, wasn't it?" Darim remarked, pretending he had to think about it. "I truly think she will not be able to beat you, Sef. Her back might throw-out!"

"You know what? You're both on! I'll see you boys at the gates of Masyaf!"

"And where do we race to?" Sef asked.

I pointed to the top of the tower where we performed our Leaps of Faith. "We'll jump off of those. First one to hit the haystacks is the winner!"

"Come, Sef," Darim said, casting a sly grin to me. "Let's show dear big sister how the young guns can run!" 

_**2012**_

__I leapt off of the bed and charged out the door. _Damn it! Damn it! Why? _As soon as I reached the cockpit, I realized that I was on a plane, and I had nowhere to run. The pilot looked at me with uncertainty, but continued on his course. I excused myself from there, and decided I needed a place to be alone. But where could I be alone?

Jared saw me pacing and cocked an eyebrow. "Yo, Sam? You okay?"

"Sara! Dammit Sara! Why'd you run off?" Walter asked as he grabbed my arm.

"Goddammit don't even—!" I jerked my arm out of Walter's grasp and rubbed my head. I couldn't grasp the situation, and that's coming from someone who's lived almost a millennia!

"What the hell'd you do?" Jared snapped to Walter. "Who the hell's Sara?"

Walter had a good head on Jared, and I could tell it annoyed the latter. "Who are you?" The question was simple, but the look on Walter's face told me that it wasn't for him.

"Jared," he answered, an edge to his voice. "And don't ask for my last name; I don't give it out to people I don't know."

"How do you know Sara?"

Jared glanced at me. "Sara? D'you mean Sam?"

"No, I mean Sara. Sara Taylor. She's right—."

"_Okay_!" I cut-in desperately. "Can we _not_ do this right now?"

"But—!"

"No 'buts'!" I snapped. When the boys were quiet, I tapped my foot in thought. "Ugh… How to explain this…?"

"You're not going Denver on me, are you?" Jared asked with a smirk.

I glanced up at him and gave him a questioning look. "What? 'Going Denver'?"

"Oh, right! You haven't been around for the last two years!" Jared smiled weakly. "Well… the Templars got a hold of Altair Ibn La'Ahad's Apple of Eden, and they were working on it in a secret base underneath Denver's airport. Unfortunately, it was destroyed, and took the entire airport with it. They blamed it on satellites."

My heart dropped in my chest. "… What? It was _Altair's_ Apple?"

Jared nodded. "Yeah. The one from Masyaf."

"And it was destroyed?"

"Mhm."

"No traces?"

"None that we could find, but, then again, the Templars were almost at the scene, so we had to book-it out of there."

I sat down in one of the seats and rubbed my head. _Damn… Damn! Now what? Is my life really tied to that thing? It's destroyed! Gone forever! Fuck!_

"Don't worry about it, Sam," Jared reassured me. "It's not like your life depended on it."

I glared at him, stood up, and then walked to the cockpit. "Hey!" I said to the pilot. "Set a course for Denver! Right _now_!"

He looked at me with uncertainty, but shrugged and did as I said. _I need to see this for myself._

"Get ready," I told Jared as I brushed past him. "We're going to Denver."

_**1512**_

__"Ezio!" I called, and pointed to Ahmet. "We're getting closer!"

I wasn't sure if Ezio nodded, but I directed Sofia to intercept Ahmet's path. She pulled-up beside him and he slammed into us, and the spikes on his hubs ripped our wheels apart. Ezio cut the rope holding his parachute and hit the ground running. I didn't see what happened next, but I was certain that Ahmet wasn't on his carriage anymore.

I saw a rock coming up and grabbed onto Sofia. She quickly wrapped her arms around me and held on for dear life as we hit it and rocketed out of the wagon, right off of the cliff.

Sofia screamed in terror as we plummeted. I righted us and deployed a parachute Ezio had given me, and we both sighed in relief as we gently floated down to the ground.

"Pull your legs up," I instructed her. "If you don't, you could break your legs when we land."

Sofia did as she was told. "Well, this is definitely something out of a book I must have read."

"No book that has been published yet, believe me." When we landed, Ezio had the bag of the Keys in his hand. "Sofia, go to Ezio. I will be nearby."

Sofia smiled at me and hugged me unexpectedly. "Grazie, poco Sofia. You did really well today."

"You didn't do bad yourself," I replied, then smirked and added, "for a Venetian."

She grinned and let me go, then hurried to Ezio. I hid in the bushes as the Ottomans came into the picture, and Selim, Ahmet's brother, revealed himself as the Sultan's successor, and as he murdered his brother.

"Requiescat in Pace," I muttered as Ahmet's body fell from the cliff.

Selim and Ezio conversed for a moment before Ezio raised his sword against the new Sultan. However, Sofia stepped-in and stopped him. I wondered what had made Ezio so quick to raise his blade, but I decided to ask him about it when he didn't look so angry.

Ezio eventually came to the bush I was hiding in when Selim ordered his Ottoman army away. "Sofia, we are heading to Masyaf immediately," he told me solemnly. "Are you coming? I thought you'd want to finish your pilgrimage."

"Si," I said, and hopped out of the bushes (much to Sofia's surprise). "I will come. See you at the port?"

Ezio nodded. "I'll get Azize to watch Sofia's shop while she is away with us. Dogan will be able to hold off any more Byzantines that threaten the Ottoman Empire."

"Dogan is the one taking Yusuf's place?"

"Si." Ezio inclined his head towards a few stray horses from Ahmet's carriage, who had found their way down the cliff. "Can you ride bare-back?"

"Can _you_, old man?"


	21. The Crusaders

Chapter Twenty:

The Crusaders

_**2012**_

__There was a knock at my door as I geared-up for Denver. "Sara? Can we talk?"

I bit my lip. If I didn't face it now, then I'd have to face it later. "Come in."

I reluctantly smiled as I realized that this was the first time Walter had ever asked to come in, instead of constantly barging in and almost catching me naked. Walter closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a time, just watching me.

"What?" I asked.

"Did you get to this time like me?"

I shook my head. "No. My way was different."

"How so?" Walter persisted.

"Do you remember the last time I visited you? Before you… died?"

Walter nodded. "You hadn't changed a bit." I looked at him, almost as if I could will him to figure it out for himself. The expression on his face changed as he came to do so. "_Oh_."

I nodded. "I haven't changed in more than eight-hundred years."

"… That's a long time." Walter's brow furrowed. "But… what about your family? You told me about them once!"

"They were dead even when I knew you in 1746. My biological sister was killed, as was my foster-brother and foster-mother. The rest just… died. I outlived them all."

The next thing I knew, Walter's arms were around me and pressing me against him. He sat on the bed, bringing me with him, and rested his forehead against mine. Did I really see tears on his face?

"Sara… I'm so sorry."

"What're you apologizing for? What's done is done."

He gently shook his head, his black hair rubbing against my brown. "No. That day… The day you left… I should have been stronger. There I was, letting you go, because I knew you would leave even if I tried to stop you. I debated following you to help, but… I didn't. It's my fault."

"No it's not—!"

"Yes it is! It doesn't matter if you were really going to be okay, because I needed to see you survive with my own eyes!" He was quiet for a time. "After, about six months after you disappeared, I enlisted in the army and became a Knight for his Majesty. After I met my… wife… I came across James, who was wearing robes similar to the ones you'd worn. He told me everything, from what you and he did, to why. And he told me who that woman was. When I woke up today, I saw that woman, Diana. I only thought of how she had taken you from me, and then I looked over, and I saw you. At the time, your hood was up, and I couldn't see your face, but your voice was so familiar, and I only thought of protecting you…"

My eyes flickered to his hands, where the blood was still flowing beneath the bandages where he'd stopped Diana from cutting me up. Walter's head left mine and he quickly started to rub away his tears.

"Look at me… I'm a right big mess…" He smiled as best he could, and then continued. "But then, after Diana tossed you out of this gigantic flying machine and you landed back inside of it, I saw your face and all that blood and—!" He deliberately cut himself off. I waited patiently, unable to form words of my own. "And I saw your eyes. And I remembered the night we met, and I knew it was you."

I was quiet as I thought of what I would say. My heart was hammering in my chest uncontrollably as I put my words together, piece by piece.

"Let me tell you a story," I told him finally. "Believe-it-or-not, it starts in 1193, in Damascus, Syria. In that city, there was a little girl, fending for herself, until a fateful day that a man in a white hood with a silver blade in his hand saved her life. The girl was wounded, and nearly broken in spirit, but that man helped her to regain her will, and taught her how to defend herself. He also gave her a family; something that had eluded her for years, and a mission to keep her going. That man's name was Altair Ibn La'Ahad, and he was the Grandmaster of the Assassins of the Levant…"

_**1217**_

__"Ready?"

Sef was practically hopping up and down in anticipation, like he used to when we were younger. Darim looked ahead coldly, his eyes fixated on our goal. My hands clenched and unclenched as I loosened up, but my heart was calm, as usual.

"Go!"

Sef shot forward past Darim and me. I couldn't believe how fast he was! Then again, it had been a long time since we raced.

I started to pump my legs and go faster, as fast as I could. I followed Sef as he climbed a building and hopped beside the main square, and then I went in a completely different direction. Sef continued to sprint up to the keep, whereas I climbed and leaped off of a roof, right where Sef was running. He deftly jumped over me as I landed, but it looked like he was already tired. He and I sprinted to the ladder, which I beat him to. He started to climb the tower, without the use of a ladder, and he was gaining on me. I put in one last effort as I scaled the second ladder in the tower, and then I ran to a ramp and leapt off.

The Leap of Faith allowed me a moment to myself to think, where I would only feel that rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins. Sef wasn't coming with us, despite how great an Assassin he was. I believed that Altair didn't want to bring him, not because Sef had family of his own, but he wanted at least one of his family to stay alive if we failed. I wasn't sure if Sef fully understood that.

I came back from my thoughts and hit the haystack perfectly, landing in the soft (but often sharp) bed. I looked up to see Sef and Darim halfway down, battling each other to hit the haystacks first. Darim was the eventual winner, mostly because Sef had over-exerted himself too early and made a sloppy Leap of Faith. Sef popped out of the haystack, out of breath, but managed to come sit by me.

"Who's old now?" I asked with a smirk.

Sef shot me a look and tried to catch his breath. Darim smiled and came over to us as well, then sat down with his feet dangling over the edge of the cliff.

"I thought you were going to beat me for a moment, little brother," Darim said. "But Suna wins again. What a surprise."

"If you didn't want me to race you, you wouldn't have goaded me into it."

"No, I suppose not." Darim patted his brother on the back. "Well, what if we raced again when we get back? It's not like we're never going to have fun like this ever again."

Sef nodded and smiled. "By then, I'll have surpassed you both!"

I grinned. "We'll see, little brother. We'll see."

"Someone's at the gates!" an Assassins yelled down at us. "There are two men at the gates!"

I looked at Sef and Darim, both of them looking at me, and then stood up and hurried across the cliffs using the tightly drawn ropes that Altair had once used when he defended Masyaf from Robert de Sable.

By the time Darim, Sef and I reached the from gates, Altair was there. Malik was tailing closely behind us, and I was sure Maria would be around somewhere.

At the gate were, in fact, two men. One was smaller than the other, and he was wearing very light chainmail, along with a few pieces of clothing that looked like they had been worn too often. He had eyes that darted around, as if in fear, and he was fiddling with his hands.

The other man was about the average size, with brown hair and sharp grey eyes. He wore chainmail as well, but underneath his plate armour and his tunic, which bore a red cross on his breast. He had only one weapon—a sword, which looked considerably old.

"Who goes?" Malik asked.

The man with the sharp eyes regarded us plainly. "Robert DeQuincy," he responded evenly. "I came here in hopes to rest for a while."

Altair stepped forward. "You're with the Crusades?"

"Yes," Robert said. "I came all the way from England."

"Jerusalem is back that way. Why all the travelling just for rest?" Altair asked. His tone, however, seemed to be a chiding one. "Unless you didn't go to Jerusalem?"

Robert was quiet for only a moment. "I didn't. I walked right past the battle and continued to walk. And then I heard of a stronghold where I can claim some sanctuary, and I came here. I am no coward, if that's what you're thinking. I just didn't want to kill someone without a blade in their hand… again."

At that, Altair held out a hand for the Crusader. "You are welcome here, but I will be leaving in a few days' time. By then, you should be re-supplied and ready to leave as well. I am not inclined to leave you here while I am gone."

"I can understand that," Robert replied, and clasped Altair's hand in his. "Your name, sir?"

"Altair Ibn La'Ahad," the Grandmaster replied. "And who is that man behind you?"

"Squibs," Robert said. "He's my Squire."

The two men released hands, but they walked together up to the keep. I kept an eye on Squibs, because he looked like he wanted to do something drastic. I was sure that being around so many people with so many weapons was near-nauseating for him, especially since he didn't know us.

"Maria!" Altair called when we reached the keep. "We have a guest!"

"But we're about to leave!" Maria called down from their room in the Master's Tower. "And I have been packing!"

"He is only staying a few days, and no longer than us!"

I heard the door to the Master's Tower echo as Maria closed the door and started to come down the stairs. Altair led Robert into the main hold, and the two were quietly conversing. What about? I wasn't exactly sure.

Altair, all of a sudden, smiled as if he remembered something. "Oh, Robert, these are my children," he said as he gestured to my brothers and I. "Let me introduce my daughter, Suna, and my sons, Darim and Sef."

Robert bowed. "A pleasure."

Maria slammed the door open and placed her hands on the railing at the stairs. "Husband," she said quietly (and whenever she called Altair that, it meant that she was _very_, _very_ angry), "would you mind telling me where my sword is?"

"I have no idea, Maria," Altair replied with a shrug. "Is it back upstairs?"

"I am sure that I left it right here."

Altair raised an eyebrow. "We will find it later. We have a guest, remember?"

"Of course I do." Maria elegantly walked down the stairs and approached Robert. "Nice to meet you…?"

"Robert DeQuincy," he replied. "And your name?"

She smiled. "Ah, you're English? Well, my name is Maria Ibn La'Ahad, formerly Thorpe."

Robert's eyes widened slightly. "Thorpe? Maria Thorpe? I thought you'd died with Robert de Sable!"

"Lots of England thinks that," Maria replied. "I don't mind it."

Robert looked at Altair. "What's the meaning of this?"

"What do you mean?" Altair asked.

My left hand touched the grip of my sword automatically. If anyone noticed, they did not voice it.

"Little more than twenty-six years ago, I was promised Maria Thorpe's hand in marriage," Robert said. "As soon as she returned to England, I was to marry her. Her husband—or, ex-husband—Lord Peter Hallaton annulled their marriage as she left for the Crusades under Robert de Sable. I was promised to her in order for her family to regain their lost honour."

The entire room went silent, but it was Sef who finally broke the silence.

"_Awkward_," he said, loud enough for us all to hear.

_**1512**_

__I sped ahead of Ezio as we walked the path up to the keep. There were many memories—too many, but I did like to see that the Templars had abandoned it since Leandros' death. Ezio was still explaining to Sofia about the Assassins, their fight, and their enemies. He was also explaining the relevance of the fortress.

"So, this man… Altair, was it? He helped your Order?"

"Where his predecessors built the base, he perfected it." Ezio gently took Sofia's elbow and helped her to climb. I couldn't blame her if she was tired; it was a long way. "He helped the Assassins to become strong, and realized the folly of keeping such a fortress. It was not a symbol of the power of the Assassins, but a sign of ignorance to the ways we strive for. We work in the dark, to serve the light."

"And so this place was abandoned?"

"No. The Mongols struck, and the Assassins evacuated." I could feel Ezio's gaze on me. "No one is sure what Altair hid in his library, but now we have the Keys, and we will find out. Niccolo Polo hid them, and we have brought them together."

The great Masyaf fortress looked as it always had been. When Ezio and I were here previously, I hadn't had the time to study it. Frankly, it was hard to look at. Even though the training ring in the courtyard was barely visible, what with the wood around it rotting still and the stones covered with dead weeds, it brought back many memories.

I remembered where the library was, so I lead the way. I stopped in front of the door and waited for Sofia and Ezio, who were still deep in conversation. Ezio examined the door and put a hand on the cold door.

"There are so many holes…" Ezio murmured.

"And only five Keys," Sofia said.

I walked up to the door as well and studied it. From the brown-gold I saw in Ezio's eyes, I knew he was using his Eagle Vision or "Eagle Sense" as he liked to call it now. It reminded me of when Altair had taught me to use my own latent abilities to help in my missions.

"The Eagle," I told them. "Look—each of these are spaced-out. They're constellations. The Eagle is among them. Put the Keys in the correct places on the Eagle."

"Ah, of course!" Sofia exclaimed. "Poco Sofia, you are correct! Altair is the name of a star in the Eagle constellation, and his name means, 'The Flying One'. It seems only natural."

With his Eagle Sense, Ezio placed each Key into a slot. Soon, the door opened with a thunderous sound. Ezio took Sofia's hands and looked at her.

"You had better come back," Sofia said.

Ezio nodded. "I shall. I promise."

I was hesitant to enter, but I followed Ezio. The door slammed behind us, creating an echo that hurt my ears. Ezio saw my distress and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Do not worry, amico," he said quietly. "You were here once, si?"

I nodded. "Many years ago, I would come here to read. We also held meetings, of a sort. Altair would lead them, being the Grandmaster, and the Master Assassins would listen and give opinions when needed."

"So you attended many of these things?" Ezio grabbed a single torch off of the wall and proceeded to light the others as we travelled deeper.

"Si. I was invited to every one, though I did not always go." I bit my lip. "For obvious reasons."

Ezio finished lighting the last of the torches. He placed the torch he held onto a hook as we continued into the chamber. It was a circular room, filled with bookshelves, but no books. Altair had given them to Darim, last I'd heard, and my brother brought them all to Alexandria.

I nearly tripped, but Ezio caught me. I smiled and laughed. "Even when I lived here, I always forgot that step."

Ezio smiled as well, but I could see there were other things on his mind. He released me, and we continued. We were in the centre of a circle of chairs, each the same size as the other. I looked to the left of the chair facing us, remembering that that was where I sat beside Altair.

_Come to think of it,_ I thought with squinted eyes, _the figure in the centre chair looks like…_

I gasped. Ezio saw it too. My heart felt like it had slid right out of my body. I couldn't stop the tears that came.

_Altair._


	22. Legacy of the Mentor

Chapter Twenty-One:

Legacy of the Mentor

_**2012**_

__"We're here," Jared said. "We'll bring the jet around to pick you up in half an hour. We can't spare anymore time than that."

I nodded. Hopefully, I'd be able to find something—anything!—that would yield me some answers.

Walter put a hand on my shoulder. "We'll continue that 'history lesson' later then, shall we?"

"Of course! It's not like I'm going to keel over!" _At least, I hope not…_

I opened the door of the jet and shouldered a parachute. I leaped out as my two-second window opened, and dived down to the Earth. With the aid of the parachute, I landed softly among the ruins of the airport, where the satellite had crashed down only a few months ago. So far, it looked abandoned.

I pulled my hood up and started to search after I unhooked my parachute. I hurried to get through the piles upon piles of rubble to the satellite, which the government hadn't taken yet. I managed to get there in ten minutes, but I knew I had lost valuable time. With almost half of my time gone, I sifted through the satellite, hoping to find some sort of trace of Altair's Apple.

_"Pick-up in five minutes!" _Jared said into the comm.

I cursed and hurried to find it. As the clock came closer to my next window of opportunity (this time to get the hell out), I started to panic. This was the only chance I'd ever get! How would I be able to come back once the Templars realized what I was doing?

And then, as I started to make my way out of the ruins of the satellite, a glimmer caught my eye. My hope rekindled, I dug after it. I reached into the tiny hole, hoping to touch something circular, but I ended up grabbing something jagged and small, no larger than my little finger. I pulled it up through the satellite and examined it. There was no doubt in my mind that this was a piece of the Apple, but whether it was all that was left, or simply a piece that came off due to the impact, I wasn't certain. It glowed softly in my hand, and, for a moment, I was entranced by it. I managed to stop looking at it and pocketed the fragment, then hurried to where the jet would be landing.

I nearly missed it, but I managed to signal the pilot to stop before he took-off. As soon as we took to the skies again, Jared bombarded me with questions.

"Did you find it?" Jared asked hurriedly.

I hesitated. "No. I didn't."

Jared, I could see, was crestfallen. Maybe he thought it was destroyed? But I decided not to tell him about the fragment of Altair's Apple. My life was, literally, in my own pocket, and I intended to keep it that way. So, before anyone could hound me again, I got a piece of string and tied it well around the fragment, then I hung it around my neck. Hopefully, that's where it would stay.

_**1217**_

__"I did not know that Maria was married before this…" I muttered.

"She was probably married-off," Darim suggested. "I mean, you know the English. And you know our mother! I wouldn't be surprised if the reason she left for the Crusades was to simply be away from such a marriage."

Sef shook his head. "But to be betrothed without consent is just…"

"I wonder how Maria feels about this," I said.

"Well, after her shouting match with Robert DeQuincy, I can imagine she's about ready to kill him."

"Once we get out to Mongolia, she can kill whoever she wants," Darim responded.

I sighed. "And the Grandmaster…?"

"He has nothing against mother," Sef told me. "I'm sure that he's simply confused about all of this, but he feels no ill-will towards her."

I nodded. "Well, that is all that matters. We will leave for the East in a few days' time, and this nonsense will be behind us."

My brothers and I walked through the markets and bought something to eat. It allowed us a momentary respite to the madness going on at the keep. I was honestly surprised that no one in Masyaf had heard Maria screaming obscenities at Robert.

"I am surprised at the break we got, though," Darim remarked.

"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.

"Well, for three years in a row, we had to deal with your drama. A twelve-year break was something I needed."

My eye involuntarily twitched. "My _drama_?" I grabbed moved quickly and locked my arm around Darim's neck, and then walked him straight to the well. Darim was struggling madly to get out of my grasp. "I apologize if my biological family made you go crazy! How do you think I feel about this, you little whelp?"

Darim didn't reply because I tossed him into the water. He splashed up to the surface and grinned.

"I apologize, sister. I was merely trying to provoke you."

"Well it worked!" I snapped.

Sef was laughing on the bench we had previously been sitting on. "You two act more childish than my own children!"

I stuck my tongue out at my brothers in response.

_**1512**_

__Altair. My father, my savoir, my Grandmaster, and my Mentor. The man who had given me so much; strength, being, knowledge and a purpose. There he was, sitting in his chair. If Ezio and I would have been in complete darkness, I would have expected Altair to stand and welcome me, smiling as he usually did.

But Altair was sitting slack in his chair. And despite the hood covering his face, I could see the skull underneath. Ezio took a few steps forward, his eyes moving to something. He knelt in front of the skeleton of my father and gently pulled the final Masyaf Key from his bony hand. Ezio stared at it, the light of the Key engulfing both of us.

_**"You have seen to my books?"**_ Altair asked Darim, his hood lowered and a box tucked under his arm.

_**"Yes. Some we sent with the Polos. The rest will go with me to Alexandria," **_Darim answered formally.

Altair nodded. _**"Good. Very good."**_

__The sight of the two made me want to look away. I couldn't stop the emotions welling up inside of me as I watched them, as if I didn't exist.

_**"Father, I do not understand… why did you build a library if you did not intend to keep your books—?"**_

_** "You should go. When the Mongols return, Masyaf must be empty."**_

__Darim let his head fall back, as if he understood something. _**"I see. This is not a library at all. It is a vault."**_

_** "It must stay hidden, Darim. Far from eager hands. At least until it has passed on the secret it contains."**_

_** "What secret?"**_

__Altair held up his free hand dismissively. _**"Go, son. Go be with your family, and live well."**_

__Darim shut his eyes for a moment before he stepped towards his father and embraced him. _**"All that is good in me, began with you, father."**_

__The two men released each other. Altair nodded to his son as Darim stepped back, wordlessly telling him everything his son needed to know. Darim brought his left hand across his chest and closed his fist, bowing slightly to show his respect to the Grandmaster. The door began to close, and Darim turned away from his father, tears evident on his cheeks. Altair pulled his hood up as the door closed, and walked through the hall towards the main chamber. He seemed deep in thought as he walked down the path, putting out the fires of the torches as he went along. From the box, he brought out the Apple to light his way. He passed his chair and continued to the wall, where there had previously been the symbol of the Assassins. Now, there was a pedestal.

Altair placed the Apple on the pedestal and pressed a piece of stone beside the makeshift shrine. The Apple was sealed-off, like Altair, and the familiar Assassins Insignia was on the wall again like how I remembered it. Altair turned from it, put his hands in front of him, and tried to find a way back through the darkness. His hands finally touched his chair, and so he sat in it. For a moment—a brief moment—Altair sat straight and tall in it, as if regarding the Assassins like he used to when he held meetings with Master Assassins.

Altair pulled a last Key from his robe and stared deeply into it. Finally, he smiled softly, and held the Key tightly in his hand before his eyes closed embraced death.

I didn't care that I was crying as I saw what was on the Key. Ezio gripped they Key and looked up at Altair.

"No books… no wisdom. Just you, fratello mio." Ezio stood tall with the Key in his hand. "Requiescat in Pace, Altair."

Ezio didn't look back at me, and I was thankful that he didn't. Instead, he crossed the room to the place where Altair had hidden the Apple away. He pressed the stone that Altair had some three-hundred years ago, and revealed it.

Ezio's hand hovered over the Apple. "Another artefact?" Reluctantly, I saw Ezio pull away. "No. You will stay here." He backed away from the Apple. "I have seen enough for one life."

The Apple suddenly flashed, engulfing the room in the Apple's golden hue. Ezio covered his eyes, as did I, and only when the light faded did we dare open them again. The room was outlined with the Apple's power, the gold touching every corner.

"Desmond?" Ezio called all of a sudden. "I heard your name once before, Desmond, a long time ago. And now it lingers in my mind like an image from an old dream." Ezio looked around the room. "I do not know where you are, or by what means you can hear me. But I know you are listening."

Wordlessly, Ezio untied the bracers around his arms and let them fall. His hidden blade and hookblade hit the floor with a _thump!_ and made an echo in the room, one that made me cringe. His sword was next. He held it out, admiring the blade, and then released it as if it was nothing to him.

"I have lived my life as best I could, not knowing its purpose, but drawn forward like a moth to a distant moon. And here at last, I discover a strange truth. That I am only a conduit for a message that eludes my understanding. Who are we, who have been blessed to share our stories like this? To speak across centuries? Maybe you will be the one who will answer all the questions I have asked. Maybe you will be the one to make all this suffering worth something in the end." I saw what Ezio saw. A man, who looked so much like both Ezio and Altair, stood in front of us, wearing strange things with markings on his left arm. He did not appear to see us, though. "Now…" Ezio put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Listen…"

Light engulfed the room once more. Whatever Ezio said, it was drowned-out by a sudden ringing in my ears. When the light faded, Ezio was walking towards me, a smile on his face.

"My time is over, Sofia," he told me. "But yours still holds truth and purpose. I hope you will live your life to the best of your abilities, as I have mine."

I hugged Ezio as tightly as I could. The Mentor of the Italian Assassins held me just as tightly.

"I thank you, amico," he said. "I owe you so much."

I finally released him. "Think nothing of it," I told him.

I looked at his hidden blade and hookblade on the floor. I picked up his sword and placed it against the wall beside the Assassin's Insignia, and then put his hidden blade and hookblade in my satchel.

"What are you doing?" Ezio asked.

"It would not do to leave weapons around here like this, Auditore." I smiled and handed him my satchel. "Would you carry this out for me?"

Ezio took it and slung it over his shoulder. "What, am I your bag-boy now?"

I smiled. "No." I carefully took Altair's body into my arms. "My hands are simply full."

Ezio nodded as I adjusted the body. It seemed the bones were still in place and holding, but I did not want to take any chances. His arms were crossed on his chest, his head lolling into a sleeping position. It made me sad to think of him as a simple skeleton, when I had lived my entire life with him. Ezio and I crossed the room and walked down the hallway, where Ezio put out the torches. He climbed the stairs ahead of me and opened the door on my instruction.

Sofia's eyes greeted us with happiness, but were soon turned to shock when she realized what I was carrying. Ezio held Sofia in his arms.

"It is over," he told her.

Sofia rested her head on Ezio's shoulder. "Ezio, why is Poco Sofia carrying that…?"

Ezio politely shushed her as he noticed my tears. I moved past the two and walked outside, where the snow was falling gently. I walked Altair all the way down to the edge of Masyaf, where a tiny hill overlooked the cliffs and the water below. I placed Altair beside three ruined headstones, found a shovel, and started to dig.

"Tell her what you want," I told Ezio over my shoulder. "I am not in the mood to care for such a thing."

"Very well," Ezio said. He took Sofia to the side, and so I stopped listening. Almost an hour later, I was finished digging, and placed Altair's skeleton in the grave beside his wife. I shoved the dirt back into the Earth, found a stone, and used the shovel to carve out the best headstone I could.

هنا يكمن نسر بن لوس انجليس الاحد  
>غراند ماستر وسام قاتل<br>الزوج ، الاب ، صديق ، مينتور  
>قد تجد روحه السلام ، وأحبائهم الذي تركه<p>

Ezio looked at the inscription on the headstone. "What does it say?" he asked.

I wiped the last of the tears from my eyes and read, "Here lies Altair Ibn La'Ahad. Grandmaster of the Assassin Order. Husband, Father, Friend, Mentor. May his soul find peace, and the loved ones he left behind."

"The ones he left behind?"

I nodded. "One day, I want to be where Altair is. Whether it be Paradise, Hell, or an empty void, I want to be there."

Ezio's hand was on one of my shoulders, and Sofia's occupied the other one. "Wherever Altair is," Sofia said, "I am sure that he is proud of you."

I looked at the other headstones. Beside Altair was Maria, beside her was Sef, and lastly was Malik.

"Who are the others?" Sofia asked.

I pointed to each one. "Maria, my mother; Sef, my youngest brother; Malik, Altair's best friend, and the closest person I'd ever had to an uncle."

Ezio helped me to my feet. "Mi dispiace, Sofia, but we must go. Our ship might sail without us."

I nodded. "Si, you are right."

Ezio, Sofia and I walked arm-in-arm back to the ship. This time, as I walked away, I knew that at least a few ghosts had been put to rest.


	23. The Beginnings of an Adventure

Chapter Twenty-Two:

The Beginnings of an Adventure

_**1217**_

__We left Masyaf with Robert, as he decided to travel with us. After saying a final farewell to my youngest brother and Malik, we set off. I cast a final look back at Masyaf, and thought I saw Abbas watching us as we left, but I had probably imagined it.

Robert rode beside me as we headed East. It would take months, possibly even years, to get to Mongolia, but I didn't mind. I had the time. Robert would often speak to me about England and its government, which I found interesting. I decided that I would visit my mother's homeland sometime in my life. Robert continued to go on about his wife, one he'd married after Maria had been thought dead. She was with child, and would have the baby this very year.

"I am to be a father," he said with a smile. "It matters not the battles I've been in. To be a father will be the greatest of glories that I could ever achieve."

We continued on the road in silence for a moment. "Why did you desert?" I asked suddenly.

Robert seemed distant. "I was at Acre," was all he said.

I remembered the massacre. The Crusaders spent weeks on the siege, and eventually Acre surrendered, opening their gates to the Crusaders. Without even a second thought, the Crusaders poured in and murdered everyone they could find, be it man, woman, or child. Masyaf had received some of the survivors, though they'd been in terrible shape when they'd come.

"Did you…?"

Robert looked crestfallen. "I almost did. I raised my blade, but I could not bring it down. When I fought soldiers, I was confused, because when I stabbed my blade into them, I did not see an enemy. I saw a man, fighting for his beliefs, as I did. Against innocent people…"

I waited, but Robert would say no more on the subject. A few days after we'd left Masyaf, Robert and his Squire, Squibs, announced their intentions to rejoin the Crusader army. Robert said that, as long as he killed only a few men on the field, it would be as if he'd never left. And no one had ever seen him leave.

"You want to go back to Jerusalem? The Crusaders are on the brink of defeat!" Darim exclaimed.

Robert nodded. "That may be so, but its something I need to do. God will guide my blade."

"Why leave your blade in God's hands?" I asked. "I don't see an ethereal hand on it. When I hold my blades, I do it knowing that I could be hurt, and no being claiming to be higher than I could possibly protect me. Only through my own strength, skills and experience may I hope to prevail."

Robert cast a funny look at me. "You are a strange one, Suna. You do not believe in God, and you speak as if you've been fighting for as long as I."

"I probably have," I told him.

Robert laughed at this. "Really? Then at camp tonight, I want to see how well you follow-up on your words!"

I nodded, smiling. "What about your departure?"

"It can wait. No sense in rushing to be defeated."

_**1512**_

__On Midsummer's Day, Ezio's fifty-third birthday, I stood outside the room to which Ezio was assigned on the ship. Sofia had bought Ezio all sorts of Florentine dishes that she knew were his favourite. I wanted to give Ezio's present to him, but I also wanted him to have some alone time with Sofia. So, I waited.

After a while of casual talk, Sofia quieted. "What will you do now, Ezio?"

He sighed. "Return to Roma. My work here is done." A few seconds passed in silence. "And you, Sofia?"

"Maybe I will return to my shop, but it seems that Azize has become a better shopkeeper than I could ever hope to be." I could hear Sofia picking at her food. "And I have learned that there is a life outside of books."

"All life is outside of books."

"Spoken like a true scholar!"

"Life enters books. It isn't the other way around."

There was a long silence. I could practically hear Ezio's and Sofia's thoughts. I'd seen it in her eyes when I looked at her. Sofia and Ezio… they were definitely lovers. But was that it? Was that where it ended?

I wondered briefly if Cristina's death would stop Ezio from being with Sofia, if she had hurt him that much. _That idiota had better learn that Sofia is probably the best anchor he's going to get…_ I thought with a frown.

"Azize, unlike you, has not yet fully recovered from her ordeal with Ahmet," Ezio said finally. "She has asked me to ask you if she may work there, at your bookshop."

I heard more wine being poured into their glasses. "And what is your interest in that?" Sofia asked. I could tell she very much wanted his opinion.

"It will make an excellent intelligence centre for the Seljuk—Turkish—Assassins." Ezio cleared his throat. I rolled my eyes, not believing that he was still thinking about work, despite how he just discarded his weapons. "A-As a secondary function, of course, and it would give Azize a quieter role in the Order. That is, if you…"

"And what will become of me?" Sofia pressed.

Ezio took a few deep breaths. "I… I wondered if…"

I heard him get up from his chair. From the way the planks creaked, I could tell Ezio was down on one knee.

"Sofia, mi amore, would you marry me?"

Only two tense seconds passed before Sofia replied, "Si, Ezio! Of course!"

My arm shot to the sky in cheer, just as I realized that I'd been holding my breath. _Ezio Auditore, you are finally going to be a married man!_ I smiled.

"Say 'addio' to your freedom, amico," I muttered as my smile turned into a grin. "Then again, you've only had thirty-six years of it."

_**1217**_

__Robert drew his blade and pointed it out to me. "Are you ready?"

I put my shortblade, my throwing knives, and my hidden blade in my tent, leaving myself with only my sword. I drew it and touched the tip of Robert's blade and nodded.

"I am ready," I told him.

Robert moved quickly for an older man, though not yet as old as Altair. He slashed at my torso, and when I'd deflected, aimed a strike at my head. I brought my sword up and deflected his blow, but only just. He had used more force than I thought he had. I staggered, and Robert quickly thrust his sword forward.

I side-stepped and started an attack of my own. Sacrificing power for speed, I aimed four good strikes at Robert. One at his left side (which he blocked), one at his legs (which he just managed to jump over), a stab at his torso (which he clumsily got out of the way of) and a strike at his left shoulder.

Robert held his ground and swung at my legs. I saw an opening on him. I leapt up and put my free hand on his right shoulder as I flipped overtop of him, then quickly tapped my sword against his left shoulder, letting the sound ring against his armour.

Darim cheered for me. Altair and Maria simply smiled. I sheathed my sword and shook Robert's hand, one which was shaking with excitement.

"If the Crusaders had learnt to fight as you do, maybe we would have reclaimed Jerusalem already," he remarked.

"Possibly," I replied. "Or you may have been cut-down faster. We sacrifice armour for movement."

Robert shrugged and sheathed his blade. "In the morning, I leave for Jerusalem. Thank-you. This may be the last noble duel I have."

_**2012**_

__"… And, I guess, that was what happened in Constantinople," I said. "Altair allowed me to return to Constantinople so I could bury my sister. It was lucky I found her body. Afterwards, I returned to Masyaf and tried to enjoy the quiet that we'd been given."

Walter nodded in thought. I was sure that his head was still spinning at my tales, unsure of what to make of them. I wanted to ease him into the idea, but he'd insisted that he know everything.

"But that's not the end, is it?" Walter asked finally.

I shook my head. "We've barely scratched the surface."

Walter nodded again, and then smiled. "Well, it's a good thing I've got time then."

Jared knocked on the door to my room and opened it. "We've landed," he announced, casting a suspicious glance at Walter. "I'm taking off again in a few minutes, so you'd better hurry."

I nodded and stuffed my weapons into a bag, plus some spare clothes I found were Walter's size. We were ready to leave in about thirty seconds.

Walter and I said our good-bye's to Jared and then hurried off of the jet. We walked up the ramp to the terminal, skipping customs, and quickly made our way to the entrance. Walter was looking at the cars, the phonebooths, and the buildings in shock.

"Amazing…" he breathed.

I smiled and took his hand, leading him to the parking lot. Shaun was waiting by his tiny car and waved as we approached.

"Sam! It's about bloody time you got back!" he snapped. "Get in the car. There are some things that you need to be filled-in on."

I let Walter crawl into the back and helped him to put on his seat belt (to which he was ogling over), and then I sat in the front seat beside Shaun.

"What is it?" I asked, instantly turning serious.

"The Mentor of the Assassins. You know him?" Shaun asked.

I remembered how, barely a week ago, I'd fought for the position of the strongest Assassin in front of him. "Yeah?"

"He's dead."

"How?" I exclaimed.

Shaun shook his head. "Heart-attack, I hear. Nothing to do with the Templars."

"So, who leads the Order now?" I asked.

Shaun bit his lip. "… William Miles."

"You've gotta be friggin' kidding me."

"No joke."

I sighed and rested my head against the window. _Great. Just great…_

Walter tapped my shoulder excitedly. "Look! Sara! There's another flying machine!"

I saw a helicopter pass overhead, no doubt for the weather and traffic report in New York. But then Walter's face was glued to the window again as we passed the skyscrapers.

"He acts like he's never seen a city before…" Shaun muttered.

"The last city he saw was London," I replied with a smile, "back in the eighteenth century."

Shaun looked at me and Walter in surprise. "So, we're in that situation…? The one Rebecca said would happen if…?"

I nodded. "Yeppers."

"Bloody hell. So, Jeremy's…?"

"He must be dead," I said firmly. "There's no other explanation. I'm not even sure if there's a limbo, but if he's stuck in it, he's still dead."

"Poor kid," Shaun muttered. "He was the first person I ever heard call Bill a 'richly-dressed old bastard'."

"Inventive."

"Oh, believe me; there were many other insults, but that was the one I've never heard anyone call Bill before." Shaun looked at the rear-view mirror to Walter. "So… who's the ancestor? Mason?"

I scratched my head. "Well… I'd rather explain it to you _and_ Rebecca, just so I don't have to repeat it."

"He called you Sara."

"So, obviously, he knew me from my time in England."

Shaun smiled. "I like him already. Better to not be the only Brit."

The rest of the drive to the temporary HQ was in relative silence. Sometimes, from the back of the car, we'd hear Walter curse as a motorcycle went by or inhale sharply whenever he saw something that interested him. The funniest part was when we drove by a high school and lots of the girls were wearing mini-skirts. Walter immediately looked away after exclaiming, "Dear God!" and buried his face in the backseat.

_This is at least going to be interesting…_


	24. The Auditore Family

Chapter Twenty-Three:

The Auditore Family

_**1519**_

__"Leonardo…"

Da Vinci looked at me and stared, as if trying to recognize me. When he couldn't, I sighed and sat down beside him on the bed.

"I'm Ezio's friend, Sofia, remember?"

Leonardo thought for another moment before he smiled. "Ah, Sofia. Piacere."

"Salve to you as well, amico." I smiled at him and watched him for a while. He was nearly as energetic as several years ago, but it was obvious that age had taken its toll.

"What are you doing here?" Leonardo asked.

"I came to visit. A simple visit."

Leonardo was lying in his bed, a bundle of canvasses beside it. He pointed to a package that seemed important. "That one I made in honour of you," he said. "I kept trying to get it right, but I could never. The smile just…"

I picked it up and opened the package. Taking great care, I slid the painting out. It was a woman, one arm crossed over another, with black hair and a strange smile.

"This looks nothing like me," I said, half-honest and half as a joke.

"Exactly!" Leonardo exclaimed. "But I tried to put some of your aspects into it. The piercing eyes (though they are not gold) and the smile. I could never get your smile right."

I shook my head and slid the painting back into its holder. "Leonardo, would you like me to get anything for you?"

Leonardo thought for a moment before he beamed and pointed to his desk. "There is a figurine in my desk! I would like to see it, at least once more."

I hurried to get it for him. It was an old thing, but it seemed stable. It replicated the human shape almost perfectly.

"Ah," Leonardo sighed as he took the figurine. "Ezio bought this for me when we arrived in Venezia. His pocket was nearly picked by Rosa, but he caught her and let her go. This has helped me much with my work. I am glad that I have contributed to Ezio, as he has to me… with this."

"Would you like to see him?"

Leonardo shook his head. "No. I've already seen him and Machiavelli. They know what comes, as do I." Leonardo closed his eyes and rested the figurine atop his chest. "All this time, I thought I was teaching myself to live, when really I was teaching myself how to die."

A few minutes later, the figurine on Leonardo's chest stopped its rising/falling action. I put Leonardo's hands on his chest and the figurine, and then closed his eyes.

"Requiescat in Pace," I muttered. "May you find the answers you seek, brother."

_**1217**_

__Robert had left for Jerusalem, and nearly a month later we hadn't heard any word of him. Altair got us sidetracked along the way, and we learned from a passing messenger that his name was among the list of the dead. We also learned that his son had been born, only a day after his father died.

The next few weeks passed uneventfully, though we all took turns taking watch to guard ourselves from any thieves or bandits in the night. The days were long, and Darim and I were growing restless. We were running out of things to speak of.

I found my own training leaving me as my impatience grew with each passing day. I wouldn't be able to control myself. It was lucky that Altair was there; I'd be lost without him.

We received a few letters from Sef and Malik once we'd settled in a village to rest, after we'd sent them some, of course. It seemed Abbas Sofian was growing just as restless as I was, and Malik was forced to ask Altair for guidance.

I sometimes found myself awed by Altair. He knew proper judgement and was possibly wiser than a king. It was no wonder I always thought so highly of him, and idolized him as a child. Who did he have to look up to? Al Mualim? Surely he'd had another person! But I couldn't think of another one. It annoyed me the more I thought about it.

We set off after we'd sent our replies to Sef and Malik. It would be a while before we found an Assassin-friendly village again.

_**1524**_

__I knocked on the door of the large Villa. Surrounded by grapevines, it was probably quickly becoming Firenze's new pride. A little girl answered the door. She was small, as many children her age were, with chocolate brown eyes and hair, and near-unnoticeable freckles dotting her cheeks.

She took a good look at me before she looked into the home. "Papa! Someone here to see you!"

"You get many strangely dressed people here?" I asked, amused.

The girl smiled. "Si. Messer Machiavelli comes all the time."

I laughed at that. Sometimes I didn't agree with his clothing choice, either. A few minutes later, an old man with short grey hair and a beard came to the door, dressed simply, but I could see a hood behind his head.

He smiled at me warmly. "Ah! Sofia! This is unexpected!"

"Mi dispiace for coming without announcing myself, but I was in the neighbourhood."

"Nessun problema. Please, come in. I will get some of that wine I've been working on."

The little girl pulled on her father's clothes. "Papa! I will get it!"

He stooped and kissed his daughter on the forehead. "Grazie, Flavia. Let your madre know that one of your Papa's friends are here as well."

Flavia nodded excitedly and ran off, her dress a simple blur. "Flavia? A good name," I commented. "And what's your son's name, Ezio?"

Ezio smiled and led me inside, shutting the door as soon as I was in the main room. "Marcello."

I smiled. "What Prince Suleiman called you when Ahmet caught you speaking to him?"

"It's my own little joke, but I liked the name." Ezio pulled up two chairs and sat slowly into his own. "What brings you here, amico? Business?"

"Pleasure," I replied. "Just went to Firenze to look around. Guess what I found?"

"What?"

I smiled and pulled a picture out of my robe. It was years old. "Remember this person? Fifty-thousand florins if you can name him."

"They still have these up?" Ezio muttered as he took the wanted poster from my hand.

"No. It was blowing around in the wind. I had a laugh about it when I picked it up."

Flavia returned with her mother, Sofia. The two were bringing the wine. "Sofia! Mio dio, it has certainly been some time!"

"Si, it has!" I rose and hugged Sofia once she'd put the tray down. Besides a few lines on her face here and there, she hadn't changed.

"What brings you here?" Sofia asked.

I released her and sat back down with Ezio. Sofia pulled-up three more chairs, possibly just-in-case Marcello wanted to visit as well. "Just some travelling. Firenze is a favourite of mine."

"It has grown on me as well," Sofia admitted. "I do not miss the stink of the canals in Venezia."

"You were married in Venezia, si?"

Ezio nodded. "We were. And then we headed to Roma for—." Ezio glanced at Flavia and cleared his throat. "—for business. Firenze was our last stop."

"You've done well for yourself, Ezio. I'm glad," I said. I noticed Marcello had come as well. He looked almost exactly like his sister, but I was certain that if he'd pursed his lips, he'd look more like his mother. "Speaking of which, I've a present for each of you."

Ezio looked surprised. "Sul serio? You did not have to do that…"

I smiled. "Please. These moments of peace are rare. It is always nice to sit and take a breather."

I quickly opened the satchel on my back and rummaged through it. "Now… let's see…"

"Have we become San Niccolo?" Ezio asked with a smile.

I glared at Ezio, but smiled still. "Aha!" I exclaimed, and pulled out a small doll like a bear. "Flavia, this is for you."

Flavia took the bear and admired it, which I was happy about. I continued my search, and eventually pulled out a toy wooden sword. I handed it to Marcello, who admired it like his sister was admiring her new bear.

"Sofia," I said as I pulled out a book, "I found this in a market in Syria. I translated it, but I brought the original as well."

Sofia took the book from me and examined it with a smile. "Grazie, poco Sofia. I will put this to good use."

I nodded and grabbed the last gift in my bag. "Ezio."

Ezio took it in his hands and smiled. "A scheduler? Why would I need this?"

"Machiavelli told me that you 'forgot' to attend one of his plays." I grinned. "This way, you won't 'forget' again." Ezio shook his head. I stood up and hefted the bag over my shoulder. "Well, it is about time I left. I have many things to do yet."

"Going to see Iskender?"

"Si. Altair's family needs my guidance. Either that or my company."

Ezio nodded. "Until next time, amico."

"Nessun problema about the gifts. Just don't spoil your children too much."


	25. Moving On

Chapter Twenty-Four:

Moving On

_**2012**_

__Rebecca smiled as she opened the door for us. "Geezus, Sam! What the hell took you so long?"

"We had a bit of a side-trip. No problems," I assured her, remembering the shard around my neck. "And I needed a bit of time away from this place, at least."

"For obvious reasons, I'm sure," Bill cut-in. "Rebecca, are we going to let them in?"

Rebecca's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah! Right…" She moved out of the way for us and locked the door behind us. "It's been a long day…"

Bill and I locked gazes. Him being the de facto Grandmaster of the Assassin Order didn't exactly make me want to jump up and down with joy, but I had to live with it.

Bill extended a hand. "Truce?"

I frowned, but grasped his hand. "Truce."

We both nodded and released hands. Shaun and Rebecca had gone ahead, whereas Walter was busy staring at the Animus.

"What the hell is this?" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in curiosity. "It looks so… alien!"

Rebecca looked at him and frowned. "I take it you're not Jeremy then?"

He shook his head and straightened. "No. I'm sorry about your friend, but there was nothing I could do. It was forced." Walter looked around our hideout, his eyes giving away how impressed and awed he was (despite how plain the hideout was, in reality). "This is an amazing age! So many things I've not seen before, or even _dreamed_ of seeing!"

"Well, we're glad to have you aboard then. My name's Rebecca." She extended a hand for him to shake.

Walter smiled, bent low and kissed her hand. That honestly made me want to try killing myself again. "Sir Walter Hugh the Second. But please, call me Walter."

Rebecca practically hit the roof. "A dead guy just kissed my hand!"

Walter straightened again and looked at me. "Women of this age really don't know proper formalities, do they?"

"Look mate, in this age a proper form of greeting is a handshake," Shaun quipped. "Then again, can't really blame you. You're, what, a few hundred years old now?"

"Still have a way to go to beat Sara, it seems," Walter said with a smile, and put a hand on my head, making me frown.

Everyone was quiet. In a few seconds, they would all explode, and bombard me with questions and, "what-the-hells". My hope was that they wouldn't.

Bill smiled. "What'd you say your name was again? Walter?"

"That's right, yes."

The older man's eyes flickered over to me. "You wouldn't have happened to've known him, would you, Sam?"

I tapped my two forefingers together. "About that…"

Shaun looked at Walter. "Ah. Now I remember. I _knew_ Jeremy looked familiar, and now I know why!"

"What?" Rebecca asked. I guess she didn't check my memory nodes like I'd told her.

"Allow me," Shaun said, and typed something into his computer. In seconds, he'd brought up a screenshot (an actual _screenshot_!) he'd taken of Walter and I when he was looking through my memory nodes like the snoop he was. "Here we go."

Walter stared at it. "Amazing! How'd you bloody do that?"

"Technology today is better than before, my friend," Shaun said smugly.

"I knew it," Bill stated. "It seemed too obvious."

As if for confirmation, they all looked to me. "Erm… y-yeah… This is Walter, from 1746 and whatnot…"

In the silence that followed, I prayed for no shouting. I did get my wish.

And, it seemed, Rebecca got a girly moment. "Aw! How cute!" she said.

"Did you really just say that?" Shaun exclaimed and recoiled in his seat.

Thankfully, Rebecca's girly moment was more important than the love of my life being resurrected.

_** 1524**_

__Ezio stared at the young man, who smiled and nodded. It seemed to be something only Ezio understood though. There was a meaning behind the young man's smile that was a confirmation of sorts.

"Get some rest," the young man said to Ezio, and then he left the bench.

My eyes followed the young man for only an instant before I took his place on the bench. Ezio clutched his chest and viciously coughed. I was worried a lung would fall out.

"Peace is not easy to come by," I said suddenly. "Ezio, during your life, you did what I could not. In many ways, you are a better Assassin that I could ever be. And a better person."

Ezio looked at me. In all the years I'd known him, despite how old his body had grown, those eyes of his still seemed as youthful and vibrant as when I'd first saw them, years ago in an alley not far from our current position.

"Amico, you have earned your rest," I whispered. When I looked at him, I could see he was no longer looking at me. He was looking at Sofia and Flavia, who were examining a few masks. "And do not worry; I will protect them from any harm, if it should befall them. This I swear on my life."

"G—." Ezio coughed again. "Grazie…" He smiled as his body weakened. "Ah… Mio caro Sofia… Mi dispiace."

And then I heard his last breath escape. Ezio's body slumped back into the bench, but his smile remained. My arm felt like lead as I reached over and shut his eyes.

"Requiescat in Pace, Ezio Auditore."

Before anyone noticed, I got up and left. Heavy as my heart was, I entered the place where I'd last seen the young man walk. Surprisingly, he was leaning against an archway, and seemed to be expecting me.

"I need to ask you something," I said as I walked up beside him. "Did you kill him?"

"Who?" he asked, smiling and stretching the scar on his cheek.

"You know who." I glared at him. "Did. You. Kill. Him?"

The young man's smile didn't vanish, but he shook his head. "No, I did not. You must have noticed my bracer, then?"

I nodded. The Templar cross was branded into his golden bracer, facing his body much like my hidden blades. His bracer, however, wasn't large enough to house a hidden gun, hidden blade, or even poison.

"I did not kill him," the young man repeated, seriously this time. "He is—was—a worthy enemy against us. With the respect he'd shown to all of our members that he'd killed, we are simply showing him the same respect."

"And how long will it last?"

"As long as it will." The young man smiled again. "Until then, eh Assassin?

I let him go. The young man walked away, not even looking back. He reminded me of Vieri de' Pazzi, to be honest.

And then I heard the shouting from the plaza I'd just left. I looked back to see Sofia and Flavia by Ezio's body, a crowd gathering. I hadn't noticed before, but the alley that Ezio and I had first formally met was right across from where Ezio was sitting. It made me smile.

_"Four against one?" the boy said, smirking. "I admit, the odds are not in my favour."_

_ "You probably cannot even fight!" the man said. "Your brother usually does your fighting for you!"_

_ "But that does not mean I cannot fight," the boy replied. "Look, if you leave now, I will forget this ever happened."_

_ The men laughed. "Puttata! Let's get him!"_

_ I watched in fascination for a while as the boy handled them expertly, but then they started yelling and more men dressed as they were came after the boy._

_ "Get the Auditore bastard!" one yelled._

_ Auditore? I smiled. Thank God for convenience._

_ Before any more men showed up, I leaped into the air and kicked one in the side of the head, then elbowed another in the face. I ducked as someone punched at me, and then smashed his jaw with a strong upper-cut._

_ Eventually, I was back-to-back with the young Auditore. From the damage I had done, I had drawn a bit too much attention to myself._

_ "Get the boys!" they roared._

_ My eye twitched. That was something I absolutely despised, no matter where I went. I smashed two in the face with my fist and then spun around, lifting my leg over the crouching Auditore and catching one of his many assailants by surprise as he met my boot and slammed into the brick wall._

_ "I am a woman!" I snapped angrily._

_ The men, almost as if in a daze, backed away. "Bitch! You'll pay for that!"_

_ "I'd love to see you try!" I chided._

_ Behind me, the boy's throat cleared. "Erm… What is your name?" the boy asked._

_ "Sofia d'Alviano."_

_ "Piacere, Sofia. I am Ezio. Ezio Auditore." He lowered his fists. "We better run now!"_

_ I ducked as I heard something I was all-too-familiar with. A sword cut just above my head, and I knew then that it was lucky Ezio had warned me. "Grazie, Ezio. But I do not run."_

_ As the sword came for me again, I blocked it with my shortblade. I locked the blades and glared at the man holding the sword._

_ "You dare to draw a weapon in a fistfight?" I spun my blade expertly and forced the sword out of his hand, then caught it from the air. "You, my friend, are a dog!"_

_ The man quickly backed away, and the turned and ran. His friends followed quickly._

_ "I could have handled them," Ezio said._

_ I smirked and chuckled slowly. "I am sure you could, Auditore. I just happened to be in the neighbourhood." I slid my shortblade into the sheath on my back, and I guess that was when Ezio noticed my weapons._

_ "You are… very well-armed," he commented._

_ "Really?" I asked. "Well, I recently lost a weapon that I liked, but I guess I still look quite dangerous."_

_ "Especially the way you conceal your gender," Ezio remarked._

_ I scowled and crossed my arms. "I am not concealing anything."_

_ "Then why those clothes?"_

_ "Why must I wear I dress?" I asked him. "You would not like it if you were told to be in a dress for the rest of your life. Besides, the breeze is uncomfortable."_

_ Ezio laughed at me, which only made me scowl deeper. I rolled my eyes and started to walk away when I heard him through his uncontrolled laughter._

_ "Aspetta! Please! I am sorry!" he managed through gasps of laughter. "It's just… I have never heard a woman speak of a dress in that fashion! I only ever hear about the new dresses coming, not the breeze!"_

_ "And you will stop thinking about it before I do any harm to you, Auditore!" I threatened._

_ Ezio managed to contain his laughter and started to walk with me out of the alley. "Where are you going?"_

_ I smiled. "Somewhere."_

_ "You aren't easy to talk to," Ezio said._

_ I shrugged. "But it is fun to confuse people about me," I told him. "One moment, I am fun, and the next I am trying to kill them."_

_ "I hope not!" Ezio replied, smiling. "The ironic thing is that I cannot tell if you are truly joking or not!"_

_ "Then it is working!" I smiled. "This is where we part ways for now. I suggest you get home before those men try to find you again."_

_ Ezio grinned. "They will not come again tonight. They need to lick the wounds you gave them!"_

_ I noticed I was still holding that man's sword, and so I tossed it in the air and caught it by the blade, then held it out to Ezio. "Still, it would be best if you were better protected, Auditore."_

_ "Please," Ezio said as he took the sword from my grasp as carefully as he could, "don't call me 'Auditore'. My name is Ezio."_

_ I nodded. "I will think on it."_

_ Ezio bowed and tried to kiss my hand, but I had it in his hair and quickly messed it up before he knew what was going on. When he finally did realize, I took my hand and ran off._

_ "I will be closer than you think, Auditore!" I yelled to him as I sprinted away._

_ Still, behind me, I heard Ezio cry, "Aspetta!"_

_**2012**_

__"We're leaving," Bill said as I came into the hideout. "We want to make sure the Templars keep guessing our position. We're putting everything in the van, and we're getting out of here."

I nodded and started to help. Walter and I had just gotten back from a walk in Central Park, but I wasn't exactly tired. Walter didn't seem to be either, since he jumped in to help. In a manner of minutes, everything was packed into the van (Desmond included. Poor guy…) and we were set to go.

"Where are we going, exactly?" I asked.

Bill smiled as Shaun jumped into the driver's seat. "You'll see."


	26. The Siblings Auditore

Chapter Twenty-Five:

The Siblings Auditore

_**1529**_

The Auditore vineyard was a success in Firenze. Their wine was perfectly aged, and delicious. I'd tried it when I'd stayed in Firenze once, and even though I didn't like alcohol, it was one of the best things I'd ever tasted.

Those were my thoughts as I hopped off of my horse in front of the Auditore Villa. It hadn't aged a day since I'd seen it last, eight years ago. A few boys were out in the vineyard working the soil and picking good vines. Among them, I saw my old friend, Sofia. She was wearing work clothes which had obviously seen some good use, more lines were apparent on her face, and her hair was streaked with grey, but it had not lost its fiery lustre.

Sofia stood and stretched her back for a moment. I sighed and released the reigns on my horse so that a stable boy could take it away. Sofia looked over at me then, and smiled.

She dropped her tools and came over to me, extending both arms. "Poco Sofia! What a surprise!"

We embraced for a moment. "I figured I'd drop by. There is something we must discuss, amico."

Sofia invited me in and got me a glass of their wine. "What is it?" she asked as she sipped her own glass.

I put the glass on a table beside me. "I think you and your children may be in danger."

Sofia was immediately alert. Though not an official member of the Assassin Order, I was sure that, if she were younger, she would have joined in a heartbeat. "And how did you come by this… information?"

"Five years ago, I spoke to a young man who told me that you would be left alone… for a time. Lately, the Templars have been on the move and I fear that they may be coming for you." I leaned back in my chair. "I am here to offer my protection. I promised Ezio before he died that I would do so."

"Before he…?" Sofia sighed. "Poco Sofia, you really didn't have to—."

"Ezio was family to me," I assured her. "As was his father, and his father before him. I protect my family."

Sofia rubbed her eyes. It was hard for me as well, knowing he was gone. "Very well. But how are we going to explain you to Flavia and Marcello?"

"You won't." Sofia looked at me in confusion. "I'll introduce myself. But that means that you and I must act like strangers."

"What if I just said you were a child of a friend of mine?"

I nodded. "That could work too."

Sofia smiled. "But that means you'll have to lose the weapons."

"My weapons? El Diablo!"

"Either that or you're not going anywhere near my children."

I hesitated. "… Can I keep my hidden blades?"

Sofia crossed her arms, but she was amused. "Si. You may."

I smiled. "Then where do I put my things?"

Sofia led me upstairs to a room that was obviously reserved for guests. She explained to me that a young Chinese Assassin named Shao Jun had stayed there just a few days before Ezio had passed away.

"It hasn't been used since?" I asked.

Sofia shook her head. "I usually bring Marcello and Flavia to Venezia with me to visit my uncle. He cannot come to visit because of how busy he is."

I nodded. "Si. Speaking of which, where are Marcello and Flavia?"

"Flavia went to visit some friends in town. Marcello… he disappears in Firenze for a while, and I rarely see him now. He doesn't have Ezio as a role-model, and there is no one else…"

I put a hand on Sofia's shoulder. "Tell you what; I'll change into some simple clothes and go to Firenze. I'll find Marcello, and give him a kick in the ass so hard he lands on this doorstep."

Sofia smiled.

_**1217**_

__"We have been travelling for months!" Darim mumbled in frustration. "Are we there yet?"

"Your manly parts finally starting to give way?" I asked with a smirk.

Darim glared at me. "You're one to talk! You were complaining about how your—!"

"Both of you, be silent!" Maria snapped, shutting us both up.

Darim made a face at me, so I stuck my tongue out at him. When Darim's faces proceeded I slapped his horse's bottom and it surged forward, Darim holding onto the reigns desperately.

"That will teach you!" I yelled after him, smiling.

And just as I was about to speak to Darim again (having caught up with him), an arrow whizzed by my face.

"Ambush!" Altair yelled.

We hurried along the cliffs, our horses gaining some serious ground, but it looked like some more attackers were positioned up ahead. We dodged out of the way of the sailing arrows and tried to find a way off of the cliffs.

Finally, Altair led us through a large chasm and we managed to escape the ambushers.

"Mongolians," Altair breathed. "It appears they know our mission."

Maria nodded. "We should proceed with caution. There's no telling just how many more of them are ahead. Strange though; how were they able to find us?"

"I think we are being followed," Altair stated. "I thought it was curious how there was a caravan following us, but there were children, so I thought nothing of it."

Darim nodded. "Perhaps this caravan has someone who is not part of that family."

"It would explain a few things," I added. "We should keep an eye out."

Altair considered it quietly, rubbing his stubble. "Darim, hang back a few days. Watch for that caravan. If you do not see them in five days, we will meet you at an inn somewhere."

Darim nodded. "So, where do I start?"

"By stopping your horse and finding a way to camp out," I said with a smirk. "Get your ass away from us, little brother!"

Darim reigned in his horse and showed me his middle finger.

_**1529**_

__I think I was in the same clothing as when I'd first met Ezio. Loose white shirt (with an undershirt underneath), black boots, brown trousers, a red sash around my waist, but the difference was instead of having my hair short, I had grown it out and tied it back.

I searched Firenze for about an hour before I happened upon a brawl on a bridge, but only two people were taking part in it. I groaned as I saw who one of the competitors were.

He looked strikingly like Ezio, but his hair was shorter. For a moment, I thought I was staring at my old friend, but the yelling of the boys around me made me think otherwise.

"Kick his ass, Antonio!"

"Don't give up, Marcello!"

The other boy raised his fist in the air as soon as Marcello was on the ground again. "Haha! The Auditore are no match for me! Is there anyone else but this whelp of the Auditore who wish to challenge me?"

Marcello wiped the blood from his mouth and spat at Antonio's feet. "Pezzo de merda!"

Antonio brought his leg up to kick Marcello in the face, but by then I had made my way into the ring of boys and grabbed his leg in mid-air.

"Boys, boys, boys," I chided. "Can't we all just get along and bring down the testosterone levels?"

Antonio smiled as I released his foot. "Ah, and who might you be, bella donna?"

"Sofia d'Alviano," I said. "And you must be Antonio. Tell me, amico, why were you attacking Marcello? You look older than him."

"I am. This bastardo insulted me, so I fought him. This was weeks ago, so now its become something of a routine until he can beat me, or someone of his house can." Antonio spread his arms and shrugged. "As you can see, no one has."

"How did he insult you?"

Antonio pointed to his foot. "He stepped on me and refused to apologize."

"Because you're the bastardo who tried to force himself upon my sister!" Marcello snapped.

My eyebrows rose. "Ah. Well, this changes things."

"How so, bella donna?"

"Now, instead of breaking up this fight, I'm going to break your face."

Antonio and all those who were following him laughed, whereas Marcello and his friends looked confused.

"I don't want to hurt you, poco Sofia," Antonio said with a smile. "But if you insist, I will—."

My leg shot up and I hit him in-between his legs, in the male "soft spot". I think he hit notes that he wouldn't have hit as a child. And then my fist came around and slammed into his jaw, throwing him to the ground.

"I insist," I said, raising my fists.


	27. Remember the Name

Chapter Twenty-Six:

Remember the Name

_**1529**_

__I had to admit that Antonio knew how to fight. He'd recovered astoundingly fast for someone his age and he wasn't holding back when we fought. Antonio, even so, couldn't stand up against a few hundred years' experience.

Antonio thrust his elbow at me, but I side-stepped and kicked him in the side of the head. Antonio fell into the crowd of boys and held his jaw. He looked at me in surprise.

"Damn, you have a hit!" Antonio said, with a smile.

"Every hit you feel, you feel from the House of Auditore," I told him sternly. "I have Marcello and Flavia behind me with everything you feel."

Antonio stood up and straightened his attire out. "And why, pray tell, do you fight for them?"

"Call it a sentimental obligation." I smiled. "I'll take you out with one hit, and you'll feel it for years."

Antonio smiled. "I can take anything you can throw at me, poco Sofia."

I shot my fist forward. Antonio was expecting it, but that was what I was counting on. He tried to move out of the way, but as he did he came into the way of my fist. I slammed into his brain, and he was knocked out cold in seconds.

Cheers and boos came from the crowd. Instead of egging them on like I would have, I grabbed Marcello's arm and dragged him out of the circle of boys. Marcello wiped the rest of the blood from his face and smiled.

"Grazie, but I could have handled—."

"Don't even give me that!" I snapped. "That was stupid for you to have done, even if it was for your sister's honour!"

Marcello blinked. "Preggo?"

I continued to drag him and eventually got us a carriage. Marcello got in and frowned at me.

"Where are we going?"

"Your home," I said. "I'm sure your mother's worried sick."

"I can handle—."

"No, you cannot!" I sighed. "But I can teach you how to." Marcello stared at me to the point where it became unbearable. "What?" I snapped.

Marcello, unlike his father, shook his head. "Never mind," he grumbled.

I sighed. "Mi dispiace if I've hurt your pride in any way, but my intervention had to be done."

"No, it didn't."

I gave Marcello a one-over. He had his jaw set firmly, as Vanni's used to do when he was being stubborn.

"Well, for the sake of your face, I beg to differ," I replied with a wry grin.

Marcello refused to speak to me for the rest of the ride. By the time we arrived at the Auditore Villa in Tuscany, it was dusk. We exited the carriage and I paid the man for his services while Marcello went inside. I heard Sofia talk to him almost immediately. No doubt she was fussing over the blood.

I went inside the home and, indeed, saw Sofia getting a few servants to fetch Marcello some new clothes and draw him a bath. I knew for a fact that Sofia liked to do things like that herself, but I also knew that interrogating her son was much more important at the moment.

"Ah! Sofia!" she exclaimed as she saw me. "What happened? My son will not tell me!"

I smiled and shrugged. "Boys will be boys, madonna."

Sofia seemed to have forgotten that she and I were only supposed to be acquaintances. She immediately took the regular familiarity from her face and resumed a stern, motherly look. "Very well. As soon as my son is out of his bath, you may have one. I want to get the blood off of him, you understand."

"Si, of course. Nessun problema."

Sofia nodded curtly and flashed me a careful smile. Marcello marched up the stairs without a word.

"Where is Flavia?" I asked Sofia.

Sofia sighed, her shoulders drooping as the last of the servants left. "She is back at the house, but she is in her room. She is always there, unless she needs another book to read or is coming for a meal."

"Sounds like your children are quite private," I remarked.

Sofia smiled. "You know, I always hated it when my parents told me to go out and stop reading so much. I never understood why. Now I do." Sofia chuckled. "I do not mind it much, but I miss her company sometimes."

I nodded. Sofia and I sat in front of the fire and shared a glass of Chianti, a popular wine from Firenze, and were trying to subtly catch-up with each other's lives without some of the servants overhearing. Sofia was doing well, but she missed Ezio. I did too. The toll seemed to be the worst on Flavia and Marcello though. They had a father for less time than even Ezio.

Marcello finally left the bathroom, so I decided to get cleaned up before dinner. I spent about ten minutes there before I picked out a clean set of clothes that had been in the satchel on my horse. How Sofia knew my things were there, I wasn't sure. But I figured that Ezio had something to do with it.

I jogged down the steps of the villa and met Marcello at the bottom. "About time," he grumbled.

"You took longer than I did," I said sternly.

Marcello frowned. "Just come. I'm hungry."

_Teenagers,_ I thought with a frown.

_**1217**_

__With no sign of anyone else, Altair allowed us to meet back up with Darim. My younger brother had nothing to report; no one was following.

"It won't be much longer before we get to Mongolia," Altair said to us as we settled down for the night in an inn. "We can slow our pace, if not to give ourselves some space to breathe, but give our horses a small rest."

I couldn't have agreed more.

Darim flopped onto the straw bed parallel mine and sighed heavily. I followed suite on my own bed. It was nice not to camp, and I decided to make the best of this. I would draw a bath and get cleaned-up. I wouldn't have privacy again for a while, and I disliked when Darim and Altair forgot that Maria and I went for some privacy when we were in the woods.

Finally clean, I decided that my robes would be next. The white had dulled from the dirt on the road. I dressed in simple trousers and a loose shirt and started to clean my robes outside.

A few soldiers from around were passing the inn (which doubled as a tavern) while I was doing so. I have no idea why, but it always seems that strange situations happen to me, like I am some sort of an… attraction for trouble.

They started laughing at me and speaking a language I wasn't yet familiar with. I managed to catch the odd word like, "Strange!" and "My God!", or "Clothes?".

A man came up behind me as I was ignoring the soldiers. I tensed, ready to fight back if he meant harm, but he passed me and proceeded towards the soldiers. He closed the gate to the inn so the soldiers couldn't enter.

"No entry!" the man snapped in Arabic.

The soldiers' heads turned red. "Why not? We are allowed to enter once our shifts are over!" They were speaking back to him in Arabic.

The man pointed at the inn. "The last time you were here, you broke one of my tables! Until you get enough money to pay me back, you cannot enter here!"

"But that table was a month's pay!" one of the soldiers whined.

"Then come back in a month!" the man said swiftly. "And while you're at it, stop speaking of my customers as if they cannot hear you!"

"But she's—!"

"A woman?" the man (who seemed to be the innkeeper) finished for them. "As long as she's staying here, she's my customer, and her gender is disregarded. Now, leave! Before I call your friends and have you arrested for disturbing the peace!"

One of the soldiers reached for his sword. I had long ago left my robes in the water I was cleaning them with, and my sword touched the soldier's throat gently.

"Draw it, if you dare," I growled.

The soldiers all put their hands on their weapons, and then they saw the rest of mine. Wisely, every single one backed away and left. I slid my sword back into its sheath and resumed cleaning my robes as if nothing happened.


	28. Full Circle

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

Full Circle

_**1529**_

__Flavia didn't come down for dinner. She was complaining of an upset stomach, so Sofia hastened to finish her meal and excused herself to be by her daughter's side, leaving Marcello and I alone.

Marcello picked at his food. "So… you said you could teach me how to fight?"

"To defend yourself, si."

"When can you teach me?"

I frowned. "There are a few things you should know before you consider training with me. First-off, you must promise that you will not go looking for trouble once you learn what I have to teach. Second, you must use what I teach to help anyone who is in danger. Those are my conditions, and if you promise to do them, then I will gladly teach you." Marcello opened his mouth, but I silenced him by bringing my hand up. "Provided your madre agrees."

"What? But I'm nearly a man! I can make my own decisions!"

I looked at him seriously. "If you are nearly a man, and you think you can make your own decisions, then you should know that it is wise to ask for a woman's permission when you wish to do something time-consuming and potentially dangerous. It's common courtesy."

Marcello frowned, but said nothing. He was pretty obedient for his age, even if he challenged occasionally.

"Tell me more about your sister," I said. "Why did Antonio try to…?"

He made a face. "That cazzo didn't like being rejected. He tried to make puppy-eyes at her first, but when Flavia didn't fall for it, he didn't take it well. Flavia managed to get away from him… after she kicked him where it hurt the most."

I couldn't help but smile. "Sounds like what any Auditore would do in that situation."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"When your aunt was young, she got your father to do her fighting for her, because he was older, and he was a man."

Marcello let one of his eyebrows raise. "How would you know something like that?"

"I'm a friend of your family, remember?"

When he finished his food, Marcello stood and inclined his head. "I'm going to my room. I probably won't see you until tomorrow, so have a good evening." Marcello turned and walked towards the living room, but he paused on the way. "How long are you planning on staying?"

_For as long as it takes._ "We'll see," I told him.

_**1217**_

__We were on our way again to Mongolia in the morning. The innkeeper had given us some free food, probably in gratitude for me getting rid of those so-called "soldiers".

"We will probably arrive at the meeting place soon," Altair said to us as we left the inn far behind. "An Assassin by the name of Qulan Gal will meet us."

Qulan Gal, I knew, was an accomplished bowman. I'd heard of his skills, even before we had set off on our long journey. I looked at Darim and smiled. _My brother could probably best Qulan, whether it be with a bow or a crossbow._

Darim caught me smiling at him. "What?"

"Just thinking," I said.

"Why is that the only thing you reply with…?"

I shrugged. "Women have their secrets. Find a woman, and you'll see that."

"Yes, well, maybe you should find a man and see what secrets _we_ have. You're not getting any younger, sister."

I chuckled. "That desperate for some nieces and nephews? I thought Sef's children were enough for you."

Darim grinned devilishly. "Then again, it would probably be best if we did not have any more Suna's running around Masyaf. God knows the trouble they will most likely get in, and I'd feel sorry if _you_ were their mother. You'd probably toss them off the cliff!"

"Keep walking that path, and I will throw _you_ from a cliff."

Darim shrugged, as if it couldn't be helped. "Either you or mother."

"I will throw you both from a cliff if you aren't silent!" Maria snapped ahead of us. "Children! I swear!"

Darim and I exchanged knowing and mischievous glances with each other. We loved Maria, but pestering her was our entertainment.

"Ah! Mother!" Darim exclaimed. "Is that grey in your hair?"

"Caused by you, no doubt," she replied icily.

Darim rode up to Maria and started to pick through her hair. Despite Maria's age, she still did not have any grey hairs, but we liked to remind her of how old she was. "Here is one, and another, and another—."

Maria swatted Darim's hand away from her hair. Darim took the hint and forced his horse to a canter, while Maria chased after him, yelling all kinds of things to insult him.

"Speaking of children," Altair said, smiling. "Maria acts just like you two. I swear, at this rate, I'll have two daughters and two sons."

"Don't forget your grandchildren," I added.

Altair nodded. "Yes… It seems so surreal. Wasn't it just yesterday that you were smaller than the horses?"

"No, that was twenty-four years ago."

He smiled. "Ah, yes. I remember the first time you wielded a blade as well."

My eyebrows rose. "You saw that? Weren't you in your study?"

"I was," Altair said. "I rested my eyes from looking at the Apple, and decided to look outside. You were in the courtyard with Rauf, who was teaching you." Altair chuckled. "After your rather… skilled display of how to wield a blade, Rauf came to speak with me, and he suggested that Malik and I take over. He felt that you were ahead of your class in that way."

I tightened my grip on the reigns. Rauf… I hadn't known. He'd never told me the reason why I couldn't practice with the others. I thought it would be something about the way I got along with them, but that didn't explain why I was still allowed my other classes with them and Mohammad…

The thoughts of Mohammad made me tighten my grip even further. He had angered me since I was a child, and now he was tormenting my thoughts from beyond the grave. I remembered when Altair had told Mohammad's parents about what had happened. They refused to believe him, tried to kill me, and left the Order.

Altair seemed to know what I was thinking and patted my shoulder. "Do not worry, Suna. The past is behind us."

I nodded and looked forward. There was a tree in the middle of the plain we were riding through. A man with a short beard and squinting eyes stood by the tree, his expression unreadable. A bow and a quiver full of arrows was slung across his back, and it was evident that he was wearing some animal furs to keep himself warm.

Maria and Darim were already there by the tree, closing their fists across their hearts in greeting. Altair and I dismounted our horses and walked up to him.

Altair was the first to speak. "Qulan Gal?"

The Mongolian nodded. "And you must be Altair Ibn La'Ahad, Grandmaster of the Levantine Assassins."

Altair and Qulan grasped each other's forearms and shook once in greeting. Qulan turned to me and nodded.

"Another of the Ibn La'Ahads?" he asked with a smirk.

"My daughter, Suna," Altair explained.

Qulan smiled. "Has the whole family come?"

"My youngest son and grandchildren remain in Syria."

With a curt nod, Qulan acknowledged it. He cheerfully led us and our horses to the current base of operations for the Mongolian Assassins. I hadn't expected Qulan to be such a cheerful, carefree man. I'd always heard that he was serious and stoic.

"I was expecting an army," he said to Altair after a time, becoming the serious man I'd learned about. "Not four Assassins."

"We _are_ an army," Altair replied. "And anyway, numbers are not always what wins wars. It is strategies as well."

"And Genghis Khan has both." Qulan opened the flap of a tent (I had tried to memorize where the tent was, but I easily got lost because of how many there were at the camp) and led us inside. "We must plan. Genghis Khan's forces draw closer with each passing day, pillaging and leaving destruction in their wake."

Altair placed his hands on a table that had a map of Mongolia and China and studied it. "I think he may have a Piece of Eden," Altair said.

"A what?" Qulan asked.

"They are hard to explain, but I have the Apple here."

Maria looked hard at her husband. "You brought that… _thing_, here?"

"I did not trust it lying around in Masyaf. Someone could get their hands on it and bring unspeakable horrors upon the Assassins there." Altair searched his pouch and conjured the Apple of Eden, which he held up to show Qulan.

"This is…!" Qulan could not find the words. He hovered around it, and then reached out.

Altair pulled the Apple away. "I have learned something from this; no one without the proper—how do I say this?—proper ancestry may wield it. Around twenty years ago, a man I know, Abbas Sofian, stole the Apple, and it started to drain his life away. Yet, in my hands, it does strange, wondrous, and terrible things." Altair placed the Apple back into his pouch. "That is why I will not use it here, and why we must get that Piece of Eden away from Genghis Khan. I believe the one he wields is in the form of a sword."

Qulan brought his hand back to your side. "Very well. But we must plan carefully. One wrong move could kill us all when it comes to Genghis Khan."

We all nodded solemnly. This would be a war, and nothing less. We had to protect all people from Genghis Khan, no matter the sacrifice.

It was something we all understood.


	29. The Keeper

Chapter Twenty-Eight:

The Keeper

_**1225**_

_Sef,_

_ I received your last letter only a few short hours ago. It sounds like your wife and children are keeping you very busy! Give them a kiss from all of us in Mongolia, will you?_

_ I agree with you; it is getting tiring. Eight years ago, I thought that simply the journey was long, but I have corrected myself; this war with Genghis Khan is taking its toll on us. Altair was detected by a soldier of Khan last night, and raised a silent alarm. Now, unless we strike tonight, we will lose the chance we have waited eight years for._

_ I am worried though. Altair blames himself for this mistake. It was not his fault. It was simply age making itself known. Qulan saved Altair, so you must make sure to send Qulan a "thank-you" that I will pass on to him, hopefully through your next letter._

_ We all miss you, Sef. Hopefully, it will not be long before our reunion. I long to be home again by the sea in Masyaf, but I fear how long it will take._

_ I am sorry that this letter is short, for not much has transpired. I will let you know of what happens with Genghis Khan, whether it be in the form of a letter or a tale of our deaths. I remain hopeful, though. We have a force to be reckoned with here in Mongolia, and Qulan has proven himself to be a formidable leader. With Altair here, the Assassins are in high spirits. _

_ I look forward to seeing you again, little brother. Tell Malik not to be too hard on any new recruits. Altair, Maria, Darim and I miss you all very much. Stay safe until our return._

_ Your sister, _

_ Suna_

I leaned back in my chair and sighed. I read the letter over and over again until I knew I had written it correctly, then put it in an envelope and got a messenger to take it. Had it really been eight years since I saw Sef? And twenty more since I had last seen Ahdara in person? How time flew like the wind; swift, fast, and sure.

I had been so preoccupied training Assassins, carrying out missions, and giving orders that I rarely got a moment to myself. It was dark outside, and the candle on my desk flickered as the wick got smaller. I probably hadn't even looked in a mirror in years. I feared I would not be able to recognize myself if I had, lined with wrinkles as I probably would be.

I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and forefinger. The tiredness had set in. The weariness of a long day, but I knew I would not—could not—sleep. The thought of the battle ahead forced my eyes to stay wide open. I knew I needed rest though, so I laid down on my bed and shut my eyes, listening to the sounds of preparations for battle outside my tent.

Someone entered just as I had started to doze off. I squinted to see who it was. Darim quickly came over to my bed, his face now holding eight years' worth of scars. Not many of them were noticeable, but the ones on his hands were. His hairline had receded slightly as well, and wrinkles were appearing on his face.

"Suna, what do you think of the battle to come?" he asked.

I propped myself on my elbows. "I think of it just like any other battle."

"I don't like it." Darim sat on my bed. "I have a bad feeling."

"I would call you insane if you didn't."

Darim smiled half-heartedly. "Well, why are you so calm then?"

"Because I'm so tired." I smiled at him. "Would you mind?"

"Oh, of course." He stood up. "Well, however this goes, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be in the fray of the fighting this time. I'll fall back to take out soldiers from a distance after a while, but I want to see what you go through."

I nodded and lay back down on the bed. Darim left quietly, making sure to shut the tent's flaps on the way out. I lowered my hood and rubbed my eyes, and then ran a hand through my hair. I wouldn't be surprised if I found silver in it, because of all the stress I had been going through with training. _And because I am only a year away from forty…_

I was tired, but I knew I wasn't ready to sleep, so I decided to go to the waterfall that the Assassins usually used to get clean. I put on some simple clothing, throwing my robes over my shoulder so I could wash them as well, grabbed some soaps, and strolled out of the camp. It wasn't a long walk—I just got lost. I usually didn't head out to the waterfall, preferring the privacy of my own tent and drawing a bath, but I wanted to try my luck.

After half an hour, I reached the waterfall. Placing everything by the pool of water furthest from the falls, I hurried to clean up before any Assassins happened to get a sudden urge to clean up as well. What could I say? I was a very private person.

Not like anyone cared much, considering I heard voices coming. I groaned. Hopefully, they'd recognize my clothes and go off, since a lot of the Assassins knew about my preferences.

"Maria, I want to keep them out of this, as well as you, but they are adults now. They've grown up." Altair's voice was firm, but gentle. I was surprised that it was them, to be honest. They rarely left the privacy of their tent, for whatever reason.

"They may be grown up, but they are still our children. If they were hurt…" Maria shook her head. "I don't want them to be in the battle. I want us all to be home, to have dinner together and to be joyful." Maria sighed. "I miss Sef, Altair."

"As do I. But he has been sending us letters and Malik is watching over for him. For now, I am content with that."

I found a nook in the waterfall and went past it. The wall of water separated me from Altair and Maria. "Grandmaster? Mother?"

Altair paused, but looked around with his eyes. He couldn't see me. "Suna?"

"I'm cleaning."

Maria smiled and chuckled. "Oh please, Suna. We've seen you naked before."

"When I was a child!" I snapped.

To my horror, Maria and Altair stripped down and came into the water with me. I think I was close to drowning myself.

"Do you mind?"

Altair laughed. "We'll stay over here."

"My clothes are over there!"

"Do you want me to bring them to you?"

"No!"

I knew they enjoyed making life difficult for me. Like when Darim, Sef and I used to make fun of them and play on Maria's temper, they knew how to annoy us to no end.

Maria scoffed at Altair. "Altair! She's a woman! She needs another woman to bring her clothes to her!"

See?

"For God sakes! Just throw me my clothes!"

"But they'll get wet!"

"I'm past the point of caring."

Maria shook her head. "There's no point to that. Altair and I will just be in here for a while longer, and then you will have your privacy."

I frowned and pursed my lips. I heard them both laugh at me, and then they resumed whispering to each other, this time so I would not hear. I sat in the nook behind the water and waited patiently to hear them leave. I crossed my arms and continued to wait, listening to the sounds of the water.

Finally, they left, but without a word. I thought it strange, so I waited a while longer before I poked my head out to the other side, out of the nook. When I was satisfied that they had left, I hurried to the other side of the pool and grabbed my towel, wrapping it around my body quickly. I stooped to pick up my shirt when Maria and Altair (both fully clothed) leapt out of the bushes. Their intent was to scare me. It worked well.

I screeched like a girl and slipped on a wet rock, right back into the pool of water. My shirt drifted in the air for a moment before it settled in the water above my face. I rose up and didn't even bother pulling the shirt off my face: I didn't want them to see how scarlet my face was.

Maria and Altair were laughing at me. Probably at the way I'd reacted, actually. I tried my best never to act to foolishly in front of anyone, so I believed it was something that they finally, after so many years with me, got to see.

My fists clenched under the water. I debated drowning myself again, but thought better of it.

"You're sixty years old, Altair!" I growled. "Act your age!"

"You're nearly forty, and you still act like you're seventeen," Altair pointed-out when his laughter died down. "Sometimes I think you haven't changed a bit."

My shoulders slumped. Maria reached her hand out to me (I could see through the wet white fabric of the shirt), in order to help me from the water. When I didn't accept it, she held out another towel.

"I brought another," she said, "just-in-case."

Thankfully, Maria was always prepared.

Maria got Altair to look away while I ungracefully clambered out of the pool and grabbed the extra towel. He was only allowed to look after I'd wrapped that towel around myself.

"Girl," Maria said chidingly, "you can take that shirt off your face now."

I bit my lip. "But I am embarrassed."

"Nonsense. We're your parents."

I grabbed the rest of my clothes and my robes, and then stalked off. "I'm getting changed."

Maria shrugged simply and then joined her husband. They both headed back to camp while I found a place to change. After drying my shirt and cleaning my robes (and drying them as well), I put my robes on, pulled my hood over my face, tucked my towels and clothes under my arm and returned to the camp. When I laid down on my bed for a second time, I welcomed sleep.

It felt like I was asleep for only a few moments before Darim came into my tent. In truth, from the daylight that streamed through the flaps, it had been several hours.

"The horn!" Darim exclaimed. "We have already engaged Khan's forces!"

I leapt out of my bed and put my weapons quickly in their respective places before Darim and I shot out of my tent. Screams and cries filled the air as we ran. Some of Khan's forces had already entered the camp, but the Assassins were holding them back.

"Follow me!" I ordered some distraught Assassins. They weren't sure what to do. They were young, and had never been in a battle before. "To the cliffs!"

The Mongolians followed Darim and me to the best viewpoint on the cliffs and drew their bows. A battalion of Khan's soldiers hadn't seen us yet, but were advancing on the cliffs.

"Fire!" I roared.

In unison, the Assassins fired three arrows from their bows each, and each one struck true. I ordered Darim and the other Assassins to continue their barrage while I tried to find Altair or Qulan. I leapt off of the cliff into a haystack and sprinted towards the brunt of the battle, ducking, dodging, leaping, and stabbing as much as possible without slowing myself.

I eventually found myself back-to-back with Altair. "Why was the attack so sudden?"

"I do not know!" Altair parried a blow from a soldier and then stabbed him through the skull. "He must have known of our plans!"

"We cannot let him escape!"

Altair nodded. "Hurry! You go ahead!"

"But—!"

"Qulan is picking-off anyone who looks like a threat to me! I will be fine, Suna! You must go!"

I nodded and fought my way from Altair to Genghis Khan's tent on the far side of the valley. I had been wounded, but only a little. A small cut on my arm barely counted for it.

I burst into it, but Genghis' horse immediately trampled me. I rolled to reduce the damage and quickly got to my feet and ran as fast as I could after the tyrant. He raised a glowing sword above his head and sliced anyone who got in his way, but it slowed his progress considerably.

I used one of his soldiers to propel me into the back of his horse. Getting my balance on its haunches, I activated my hidden blade and drove it towards Genghis' neck. The warlord manuevered his body out of the way of my blade, and just as he was about to bring his sword down on me his horse, felled by Qulan's arrow, buckled forward and tossed us both from its back. I got up dizzily, just as Genghis did. He threw me a bitter look and raised his sword above his head.

It was golden, and had the same strange symbols as the Apple. I had no doubt that this was the Sword of Eden.

"Assassin!" Genghis cried. "You wish to die so badly? Then die by my blade!"

I drew my sword as I tore my gaze from the Piece of Eden. My ears were ringing viciously in my head, but I wouldn't let that distract me.

Khan attacked with everything he had, and with the power of his sword behind him, it was hard for me to fight back. I parried and dodged, looking for an opening in his defences. Eventually, Khan had pushed my back against a cliff. He stabbed at my stomach, but I evaded and he only managed to scratch it. The pain was unlike anything I had ever felt before; it felt like my insides were ripping out of my body. Was this what it felt like when Altair touched the Apple? No, or else he probably would have dropped it into the sea.

Without missing a beat, Khan used his free hand to shove me against the cliff. I cried out in pain as my wound jarred, but I managed to move my head out of the way of Khan's stab. Instead, he stabbed through my hood and nearly ripped it in half, but the Sword was embedded in the rock. He couldn't remove it. I kicked Genghis in the stomach to keep him away from it and tore more of my hood off in the process. It hung lazily on my back, held on only by a thread.

Genghis glared at me and then looked to the Sword, but then he fell back as a crossbow bolt slammed into his forehead. He hit the ground with a _thump!_ and did not rise again.

I panted breathlessly and looked up. Darim stood on the cliff and waved at me, his crossbow in hand. Darim did it! He killed Genghis Khan!

I smiled up at him and waved as well, but regretted it. My wound, inflicted by the sword, opened up more and started spilling more blood. I gritted my teeth, knelt on the ground, and held it, as if I could make the pain go away. I looked at the Sword, embedded in the rock, and cringed. Its glow nearly blinded me. As if it would help, I brought my ripped hood over my face, but it hung at an awkward angle. I stood up, using my reserves of strength, and walked over to the Sword, unaware of the battle going on around me. I was fixated on that sword; it, somehow, _called_ to me.

I placed my bloody, fingerless gloves over the golden hilt and pulled it forcefully from the rocks. Its glow lessened slightly as I stared at it, but then its luminosity returned, far more forceful than before.

_**"You have done well,"**_ a voice said, clearer than the day. _**"And now, I ask that you listen to me."**_

The Sword pulled me away from the cliff-face and dragged me towards a canyon. Everyone on the battlefield ignored me. I couldn't get away from the Sword! I fought hard against it, but it was quickly overpowering me.

_**"There is a land far from this one, to the West. This is where we placed the greatest of our secrets."**_

_What are you doing? _I screamed in my head as the canyon loomed closer. _Release me!_

_ **"Find it to stop the end. Eve must be found." **_

_Release me!_

_ **"You must find Eve! Help Desmond to find her! Aid the Prophet, so that Desmond knows his duty, and his destiny!"**_

__The canyon was too close to me. I could look down and see the water below. My hands trembled as the sword pulled me closer and closer.

_**"You must be strong enough to help them! You are the only one!" **_"Suna!" I heard Altair's voice cut through the one in my head. _"Suna!"_

_"RELEASE ME!" _I shouted. Everything in my heart—every feeling, emotion, thought—was poured into those words. _I am not under your control!_

_ **"Find the Prophet! Find Desmond! Find Eve!"**_

___"I AM NOT UNDER YOUR CONTROL!" _I roared and tossed the Sword into the canyon.

I didn't bother to watch it fall into the sea. I fell on my knees and panted heavily, as if a great weight had been lifted from my chest. However, I was burning up, and my wound was still bleeding. Usually, something like that would heal, but it wasn't. Was it because of the Sword?

Altair was quickly by my side as my knees had lost their strength as well. He gently laid me on the grass and slid a hand under my hood to feel my forehead.

"Suna… Dear God, Suna…!" Altair scooped me into his arms and sprinted away from the canyon. My eyes opened and closed, and with each opening the scene before me changed. Battlefield, camp, the inside of a tent… bodies were everywhere.

Altair laid me down on a bed. I coughed violently, and when I brought my hand from my mouth I saw there was fresh blood. I was coughing blood, I was bleeding, my head was ringing, and I felt boiling hot and freezing cold at the same time… What was happening?

My eyes closed again. Visions behind my eyes shot forward, to fast for me to register, but slow enough for me to see faces. Smiling faces, saddened faces, faces of joy, triumph, sorrow and regret.

And then my eyes opened, but only just. Maria had a sewing needle in her hands. She was hastily mending the wound in my stomach.

"Bring me a sheet," Maria ordered an Assassin. "And a bucket of water. We need to move fast to get her temperature down."

The Assassin nodded and exited the tent. Maria broke the thread, finished with my stitching, and put a hand on my cheek.

"Be all right," she muttered. "You can get through this, Suna. You've been through worse."

My breathing was ragged and coming out in hurried gasps. If I could have replied, I would have.

Altair entered the tent. "How is she?" he asked.

"Struggling," she replied after a moment's hesitation.

Altair shook his head and sat at the desk beside the bed. "How?"

"I do not know. It must have something to do with the Sword…" Maria shook her head. "Altair, what are we going to do?"

I closed my eyes again, unwillingly. I dreamed of Sef. It was a horrible dream. A man walked into his room in the keep and killed him. I did not get a good look at him, but it gave me a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I jerked awake and shot up in the bed, my heart hammering violently in my chest. The pain in my stomach didn't register at all, but the pain in my head did.

I threw my legs over the bed and shakily stood up. I used the wall of the tent to move towards the desk. It definitely wasn't my tent—I knew it was Maria's and Altair's. I stopped at the desk and put a hand on the chair. My eyes were trying to focus, but they failed repeatedly. That voice was still in my head, but I was unsure of what it had said. Nothing it had said made any sense!

The tent flap opened. I looked to it and saw Darim, a stupefied look plastered on his face.

"A painting lasts longer," I told him sarcastically.

In only a few short steps, Darim had me in an embrace. "Suna! I was so worried…!"

I hugged him back. "Very good shot, by the way. Good thing you didn't miss."

Darim held me at arm's length and studied me. "Your hood… It's a wreck!"

"I know…" I muttered distastefully. "No thanks to Khan…"

Darim grinned and pulled my hood off of my face. For a second, he just stared at me, and then his brow furrowed.

"What?" I asked.

In a daze, Darim turned me around. Above the desk was a mirror, and it was obviously new, since I had never seen it in the Grandmaster's tent before. Darim stood behind me, his brow still furrowed in confusion. But I looked hard, and noticed what Darim had saw.

I had prayed that I would die of old age. I had wished for it so badly, since I could not die by a blade. Yet, there I was. I looked like Darim's younger sister. I still looked seventeen. Eight years ago, I had figured that age would come soon and show itself, but now… For eight years, I'd been to preoccupied that I didn't even look or pay attention to anything that would show my reflection, and my hood had always been upon my head.

"Oh God…" I finally muttered.

Darim hugged me from behind and wiped away a tear that had escaped me. I hadn't even noticed it. "Don't worry, Suna. It will be all right."

I wasn't sure if I could believe him. Regardless, I pulled away from Darim and sat on my bed, then tugged my ruined hood over my face.

Darim knelt beside me and kissed my forehead affectionately. "Sister… do not worry. Please."

I would need to speak to Altair. I would need to speak to him and ask what would happen. I needed to _know_.

But then, holding my brother's hand, I just wanted to die.


	30. Flavia's Regret

Chapter Twenty-Nine:

Flavia's Regret

_**1529**_

__"Madre says that I can, as long as I agree with your terms," Marcello said as he crossed his arms.

"And you decided to tell me at the crack of dawn?" I groaned, tossing a pillow over my head.

Marcello crossed the room in only a few strides and grabbed the pillow. "I figured we could get started immediately."

"Not before the sun comes up!"

Marcello blinked. "Why not?"

"Because you need to sleep and recover yet. Antonio kicked your ass yesterday."

"All the more reason for me to be ready and up _right_ _now_."

I groaned, but got out of bed. Marcello seemed pleased with himself. I decided to show him what happened when you annoyed an Assassin. Worse, a _female_ Assassin.

I put on some simple clothing (just like from yesterday) and went downstairs. A piece of bread ended up as my breakfast as I went outside to find Marcello. He had set up what looked like coarse imitations of training dummies.

"Like them?" he asked, a grin plastered on his face.

To answer, I grabbed four throwing knives from my right shoulder and flung them expertly at the same time into each of the dummy's faces. All of them fell and hit the ground in unison.

"If they can't take that, then they won't take a sword," I told Marcello, whose (I was pleased to see) jaw had dropped. I finished eating and then tossed Marcello my sword. "First, lets see what you can do."

I drew my shortblade as Marcello examined the sword. When he seemed to come to a decision, he held the blade out in front of him. His balance was off, and the way he gripped the blade was off.

_Like Darim,_ I noted.

Marcello charged forward, thrusting the blade forward. With my bracers, I deflected his blow, twisted my body, and pressed the tip of my shortblade to his throat. I wasn't even facing him. At the skill he was now, he would never have become an Assassin when I was a child.

"If I move two fingers, I could cut your throat," I told him.

Marcello gulped. "You have an advantage. Those bracers…"

I stepped away from Marcello and removed my bracers, and the hidden blades connected to them. Marcello raised his eyebrows, so I removed the rest of my weapons (crossbow, throwing knives, pouches, etc.) and stood ready in front of him.

Marcello came at me again. This time, I didn't play with him. I slammed the blade away with my weapon, skirted forward, and pressed the shortblade's tip where his heart was.

"You're still a child," I muttered. "Well, looks like that toy sword did nothing for you."

"What?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. Give me the sword."

Marcello handed me my sword and looked longingly at it. I could tell he liked weapons, but he wasn't sure of how to use them.

"We'll start with a few simple exercises," I told him. "Have you ever seen your father fight?"

Marcello blinked. "My padre? No, he wasn't a fighter. Why would you ask that?"

"All men fight the same," I told Marcello, ignoring his question. "They make a fist and they swing. It is much more complex than that though; you need to look past a simple fist. Like a weapon, its an extension of yourself. Instead of fighting blindly, you need to plan."

I proceeded to show Marcello a few techniques when we were interrupted by Flavia. She walked into the courtyard and saw Marcello and I, and paused.

"A new girlfriend?" Flavia asked her brother.

"No!" Marcello and I cried at the same time.

Flavia giggled. She had her mother's face, but her father's brown hair and chocolate eyes. And, like Sofia, she seemed wiser than she looked.

"Well, Marcello, would you mind coming with me to Firenze? Madre just got in a new shipment of books, and I'm to retrieve them." Flavia was still giggling slightly. It was hard to believe that she was technically my age.

Marcello looked at me. "But I'm—!"

"Marcello and I will come with you," I told Flavia. "I've been meaning to get some things in town myself."

Marcello seemed to be pouting. "I guess you probably aren't that skilled, after-all."

Flavia approached me and extended her hand. "I don't think we've met quite yet. I'm Flavia Auditore."

"Sofia d'Alviano," I replied, taking her hand.

"Ah, so you are our guest? I keep forgetting."

"Think nothing of it. It was short notice."

Flavia smiled and led Marcello (who was frowning at me) and I to a carriage. Of course, after I put all my weapons back in their respective places. Flavia eyed me while we were riding to Firenze, but it didn't seem hostile. More like curious.

"Have you visited Firenze often?" she asked finally.

"I am acquainted."

"How so? Do you have any family here?"

I smiled. "You could say that."

Flavia continued to question me casually, and I continued to dance around the true answer, as usual. Finally, it seemed like I had won, and Flavia gave up, but she had another question for me.

"Where did you come from?"

"My madre."

Marcello laughed. Flavia didn't.

"I mean where are you from?"

"Far away."

Flavia frowned. "You are not very good at answering simple questions."

"It's a gift." I grinned as Flavia's frown deepened. "I was born in Damascus."

Flavia blinked. "Sul serio?"

"Si. But I lived the majority of my life in Masyaf, Syria. After a while, I started travelling the world."

Flavia considered this. "Do you miss it?"

"I make some time every few years to see it."

"What about your parents?"

"I am on my own."

The carriage came to a halt, so I opened the door and helped Flavia out. Marcello exited through the other side of the carriage, probably so he could try to escape and find Antonio. I knew it was on his mind.

"Marcello, come here," I called casually.

He came around the carriage with his hands in his pockets. "Si?"

"Stay with your sister." He took his sister's arm carefully. "Good. Now, Flavia, where to?"

Flavia pointed. "Madre said that the man with her boxes would be waiting near the old Auditore manor."

"In the centre of town?" Marcello asked.

"Si," Flavia replied. "Madre usually meets him there."

Marcello frowned. "Why by those old ruins? It's destroyed. Why not just a bookshop?"

"I do not know."

I frowned. After Lorenzo de' Medici died, the new Duke of Florence decided that the Auditore manor was not worth the upkeep, so he had it destroyed. Unfortunately, Ezio got to see that for himself when chasing after Savanrola.

It wasn't a long walk to the ruins. Flavia and Marcello seemed to know their way well-enough. Together, they reminded me of Ezio and Claudia.

When we got to the Auditore manor (or what was left of it), Flavia started to look for Sofia's contact.

"He said he'd be here by this time…" Flavia said as she scanned the passing crowds. "Ah! Look, there!"

A man with three boxes was waiting patiently by a stall. He was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and dark clothes, and other than that I couldn't get a good description on him, but something in the back of my mind was worrying.

Flavia dragged her brother over to the man. I followed closely, intent on making sure Marcello didn't run-off.

"There you are!" Flavia exclaimed to the man. "I was beginning to think you'd left."

He smiled. He was an older man, probably in his mid-thirties, with a thin moustache above his lip.

"Actually, I am not here for books this time," the man said. "I am here for something else."

Flavia motioned to the boxes. "But the books—."

The man kicked over the boxes. They were empty. I went rigid as I realized that this was definitely not the man we wanted to meet with.

"Ready to die, Assassini?" the man asked, his hand moving to a sword on his hip.

I shoved Marcello and Flavia away. "Run! Uscire di qui!"

Marcello was the slowest to react. Flavia dragged him a few metres before he had registered the sword on the man's hip. I drew my own blade and followed, but I heard a familiar whistling through the air. I turned and sliced three times, deflecting all three throwing knives.

"The Auditore still have friends?" The man laughed. The crowds around us were running in all directions in utter chaos. "I didn't think it possible."

"When someone has friends, they tend to stick by them to the end," I told him. "Do you really have to ask?"

The man rushed forward and sliced. I parried and ducked, and then stabbed my blade through his thigh. He cried out in pain, but brought his sword around and cut my side. I released my sword and rolled away, ignoring the burning pain in my side. As I got to my feet, I grabbed onto one of his throwing knives and tossed it at him. It embedded itself into his shoulder as I ran.

I held my side and ran to where I remembered the carriage being. It was just leaving at full speed, but I managed to jump onto some boxes and land on the roof of the carriage.

After twenty minutes we arrived at the Auditore Villa. I clambered off of the roof and followed Flavia and Marcello inside, both surprised that I was even there.

"How'd you get here so quickly?" Marcello exclaimed.

"I ran. What do you think? I jumped on the roof!"

"Sofia!" Flavia exclaimed. "You're wounded!"

"I'll be fine. Just get inside the house!" I ordered.

Flavia shook her head. "No. You're coming with me. I need to patch you up, and then you need to answer a few questions for me."

"No. I have to check the perimeter—."

Sofia came to the door, her eyes worried. "I saw you at the window. What has happened?"

"We went to meet the man who had the delivery of books for you," Flavia explained before I could say a word. "He attacked us. Sofia made us run, and she was wounded."

Sofia looked at the wound on my side. "May I?"

I reluctantly let her take a good look at it. Unfortunately, she had to tear some of my shirt in order to see properly. Sofia made me go inside the house, along with Marcello and Flavia. Sofia, at least, knew that I would heal in about a day because of the Apple. Marcello and Flavia did not.

"Here, I will wrap some bandages around it at least to stop the bleeding," Sofia said.

"B-But madre—!"

Flavia was cut-off by Marcello. "Come on, even I've read a dottore's book before!" he exclaimed. "That will take stitches! Not a bandage! It will get infected!"

"Just leave it for now," Sofia continued, ignoring her children's outbursts. "What happened?"

"Old friends of the family," I grumbled. "_Very_ old friends."

Sofia leaned back in her chair. "Ah… so you were right about coming here."

"Si, it seems so."

Marcello stood up fast. "You brought that man here? He could have hurt my sister! My mother! Who do you think you are, donna?"

"I am here to protect you!" I snapped, rising from my own seat. "You could at least be grateful that you were not hurt today! That man was nothing compared to what could be coming! If we're lucky, that man is dead from blood loss, and did not get to tell who he worked for that I was here!"

Marcello was at his full height. He reminded me so much of Ezio, only Marcello was trying to be a man at his age. When Ezio was Marcello's age, he was still chasing after girls rather than focusing on his studies.

"Marcello!" Sofia said his name firmly. "Sit, now. Sofia, do what you need to do."

Marcello slowly got back in his seat, glaring at me the entire time. I returned his stare. "Si, I shall."

I went up to the guest room and put on my robes. I was sword-less, as I had left my blade in the man's thigh, but at least I had most of my weapons. I escaped through the window, ignoring the pain in my side, and looked around the property quietly. It had already gone to nightfall, my best time of the day.

Over the horizon, I saw soldiers in white, with red crosses on their chests. I looked around to find any cover, but I only saw the vineyards and the Auditore Villa. I grabbed the crossbow off of my back and snuck into the vineyard. I took aim, and fired at a soldier at the back. He went down soundlessly. I did this three more times before it was noticed.

"We're under attack!" a soldier yelled. "Assassini!"

"The vineyard!" another cried. "Quickly!"

They moved into the vineyard, their spears nearly touching as they searched for me. I rolled underneath the feet of one soldier as he stepped, and found myself behind their ranks. I grabbed a soldier's leg and yanked, bringing him down. He screamed, but he was quiet as my hidden blade hit his throat.

The soldiers scrambled as they looked for me. I repeated my process in order to make it look like there were more Assassins about. Finally, a soldier spotted me. I drew my shortblade and lunged at him, sinking it deep into his chest. I grabbed his spear and fended-off the soldiers coming at me, ducking and dodging in order to avoid any more wounds.

"Help!" a soldier screamed as the spear in his hands was turned on him and plunged through his stomach.

A man on horseback was coming over the hills at an amazing speed. I decided that it was time to find better cover, so I ran into the Villa.

"Sofia," I said, panting, "do you have a cellar?"

"Si, in the kitchen," Sofia replied.

"Get inside. Stay down."

Sofia nodded curtly and ushered Flavia and Marcello ahead of her. I waited patiently in the main room for the man on horseback to enter, but I didn't bother drawing any of my weapons. I was ready to use my hidden blades, if needed.

Sofia came back into the room, followed by Flavia and Marcello. "What are you doing?" I snapped. "Get into the cellar or—!"

I stopped short. Two soldiers with spears were escorting the three Auditores into the room. That was when the man on horseback made his entrance through the front. As it turns out, he was the man from earlier today. He was limping heavily on his right leg.

"Nice to see you again," he greeted. "Perhaps, this time, we can fight properly? You know, to the death!"

I glared at him from under my hood. "Let them go."

He shook his head. "No. If you die, they die. If you win, the soldiers have orders to let the Auditore brats go."

"What about Sofia?" I asked.

"She dies. Fair, si? Either way, an Auditore will die tonight!" The man tossed me a silver blade—the very one I had stabbed him with earlier today. "Now, let's see if the Assassini are still as fearsome as they used to be!"

"Release them all!" I shouted. "I could just take everyone out!"

"I'd love to see you try."

I ran at the man and stabbed. He side-stepped and punched the wound on my side. I gasped as the pain ripped through my body, and the man used that to his advantage. Grabbing my hood, he threw me against the fireplace and slammed his sword into mine. I could feel how close the flames were as we locked our weapons together. I took a chance, activated my left hidden blade and brought my hand around. The man skipped out of the way and slammed the pommel of his sword into my side.

I cried out. The man punched my face, slamming it into the fireplace. I tasted blood and it escaped through my mouth. The man kicked my sword out of my hand and grabbed my hood with his free hand. He tore it from my face and twisted me around. I struggled, but he hit my side again. That was when I realized that he'd planned the area he wounded me in. How long had they planned the attack?

The man, so much larger than I, easily used his muscles against me and slowly moved my face closer to the flames. I activated both my hidden blades and wildly attempted to cut his arm, but I was at a bad angle. Again, the man hit my side. I screamed as the pain intensified, and the man shoved my face fully into the flames. I didn't remember the last time I'd felt such pain. My face caught fire and the flames burned viciously. After what seemed like hours, the man released the back of my head. I leapt away from the flames and beat my face until I was somewhat sure the flames were gone. About half of my face was burnt. It definitely wasn't pretty.

The man laughed at me, but it enraged me. I pulled my hood over my face and tossed three throwing knives; one at the man, and two into the skulls of the soldiers. The man barely dodged it, but that was all the time I needed. I kicked him hard in the stomach, right into the fire. It was his turn to scream. He desperately tried to escape, but I kicked his head every time he tried. He seemed to have forgotten that he had a weapon in his hand.

By the time he was dead and I had dragged his body out of the fireplace, the house was plagued by the smell of burnt flesh. My own face felt like it was still on fire. Luckily, the two soldiers were dead. No Auditores had died.

I touched the burnt side of my face gingerly and winced at the pain. I was suddenly glad that the Apple wasn't going to let me keep that scar. I found myself sitting on the floor soon, with Flavia pressing a cold wine bottle against my face.

"Mio dio…" she mumbled.

"I'll be fine," I muttered painfully. "It was nothing."

"Nothing? I saw your face get burned! I'm surprised that half your face didn't fall off!" Flavia reached for my hood.

I grabbed her hand to stop her. "I'll be fine."

Marcello came into the room after helping a distressed Sofia move the bodies. He had in his hand another wine bottle. Marcello offered it to me. "Grazie," he said, a bit hesitantly.

"Nessun problema," I told him as I took it.

A few hours later, Flavia wanted to get a dottore. Sofia agreed with me in saying we didn't need one, but Flavia remained set in her suggestion. After a while, we convinced her that waking a dottore up at this hour would only make him charge us more. Instead, she wanted to get one in the morning.

I had trudged up to my room after that, limping from the pain in my side. Carefully, I laid my weapons down beside the bed and went to sleep. When I woke up, Sofia had let me sleep in. I dressed in simple clothes and looked in the mirror. My face was almost completely healed, the only evidence that I'd been burnt on my neck. I wrapped a red sash around my neck to hide it and pulled-on an overcoat which had a hood. I needed to clean my robes.

I brought the hood over my face and went downstairs. Sofia was sweeping up the last of the ash from the floor when she saw me.

"How are you healing?" she asked, leaning on the broom.

"Well," I answered. "Not much left to heal."

She smiled. "I envy you in that. It must be nice to heal so quickly."

"Sometimes I wish I had the scars as a memory of the experience," I told her honestly. "But in this case, I'll pass."

She chuckled. "Would you like something to eat?"

Sofia and I ended up cooking together. We just had fried meat along with some bread, which was simple enough.

"Where is Marcello and Flavia?" I asked.

Sofia looked down at her plate. "Visiting their padre. I wanted to make sure you knew nothing bad had happened, so I stayed behind."

"You could have left a note," I suggested.

She shrugged. "There is so much to do yet. I did not want to leave it."

I rubbed my eyes under my hood. "Flavia didn't try to get a dottore?"

"Oh, she tried. And she kept yelling at me, saying that I didn't care about you. That I wanted infection to settle in."

"Then maybe we should tell them."

Sofia looked at me. "Sul serio? But—."

"We will not hear the end of it if they are not told. I would rather them know and not be worried than think you wanted me dead."

Closing her eyes, Sofia thought it over. "Va bene. If you wish."

"When they return, I will tell them everything. Of course, we may need some help from Ezio." Sofia bit her lip as I spoke. "They will not believe me if they do not believe their father was an Assassin."

Sofia tapped her plate. "You know, Flavia always believed that her padre was more than he said he was. She always regretted not knowing him much better."

"That was hardly her fault."

"Si, but she blames herself. When she was a child, even though they were close, Flavia didn't spend much time with him."

I leaned back in my seat. "We all have regrets. The ones she has are normal. I wished, when we left my father behind, that I wouldn't have been so serious. That I had been as carefree as I became after his death. Or, at least, I hope I looked carefree. I had many cares. Hard to hide, but I became good at it."

Sofia nodded. "I will have many regrets when I pass."

"I hope you don't. Better to finish everything now than wish you had on your deathbed."

I heard the door open in the front. Standing, Sofia and I went to greet the Auditore siblings.

"Marcello, Flavia," Sofia started. "There's something we need to speak about. It is important, so I ask that you sit."


	31. Epilogue

Epilogue

_**2012**_

The ride to upstate New York took about three hours, maybe less. I slept the entire way in the van, subsequently in the back with Walter, while Rebecca watched Desmond's vitals and Shaun and Bill were in the front.

There would be the rare occasion that Desmond's vitals would spark up and get us worried, but it wasn't really that bad. Rebecca was taking good care of him.

"Are you awake?" Walter asked quietly.

I then realized that I'd been sleeping in a corner with Walter, and my face went scarlet.

"Ah, so you are." Walter smiled and brought me a bit closer to him. "I haven't really been able to sleep. This horse-less carriage has been moving too fast for me to be comfortable."

"I got pretty car-sick too when they first came out," I told him, and then shrugged. "It happens. You just need to adjust with the era."

"I believe so."

I stood up and stretched, letting my hood fall back onto my shoulders. "I keep having dreams of my memories."

"Really?"

"Yep. They're bothersome, and I want them to stop, but it's not like I can control dreams at all."

Walter smiled. "Do you think you could teach me how to speak the way you do in this time? It will probably help me fit in better."

"Erm… okay." I sat across from Walter. "Do you remember the ways I say 'Yes'?"

Walter nodded. "Yep, Yeah, Uh-huh…" He made a face.

"Don't forget 'Yeppers'," I added with a smile. "That's just how you say 'Yes' in this time. Now, when you're speaking in this time, people shorten their speech. We'll get into texting later, but for now we'll just do speech." I cleared my throat. "Say, 'I have four cars'."

"I have four cars."

"Now, say it shorter."

Walter thought for a moment. "I've got four cars…?"

I grinned. "Got it! It's as simple as that!"

"Truly?"

"Yeah, but instead of 'Truly', you'll want to go for 'Seriously'."

"Seriously?"

I patted Walter on the back. "Nice! You're getting it."

"I… think I might need to practice a while longer." Walter shrugged. "It can't take too long, can it?"

"With everyone around influencing your speech, it won't take long at all, so don't worry about it."

Walter smiled and reached out to me. His hand touched the red scarf tied around my neck. "You kept it."

I nodded, and then unwrapped some of it. "It's not exactly winter, but…"

Walter gratefully took the other half of the scarf and wrapped it around his own neck. It was just long enough so we could share it.

"I don't mind," he whispered.

There were a few moments that we had in complete silence, and then I remembered that Desmond and Rebecca were in the back with us. I looked at Rebecca—and her video camera.

"You were recording that?" I snapped.

Rebecca quickly shut off the camera. "W-What're you talking about…?"

"You can't record stuff like that!"

She smiled. "I just did. And anyway, maybe you should remember that other people are around you next time. I'll keep this to help your memory."

Walter cocked his head. "What do you mean, 'Record'?"

Rebecca came over to Walter and played our moment back to him. He watched on, amazed.

"Maybe you guys should watch a movie," Rebecca said. "Bill and Shaun're going to get some food. You might as well."

I shrugged and looked through the movies that they had. They only had a few historical movies, and the only one that wasn't historical was the first _Spider-Man_, not the reboot.

I popped it into the DVD drive and watched the movie with Walter. He was so amazed at it though that he ended up being more entertainment than the actual movie to me.

"There wasn't any rain when we kissed," Walter said as we got to the upside-down kissing scene. "And you weren't a man in a mask."

"I'm pretty sure you didn't have boobs either," I remarked.

Walter smiled. "Well, I think someone stole this from us and made it their own."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Then again, there weren't any movies back in 1746, so I doubt they could have."

"Well, you did say that my journal was on this so-called 'Internet' for everyone to see."

"True."

"That breaches my privacy."

"Well, you could file a lawsuit, but no one would believe that it's your journal."

Walter frowned. "Maybe I could pretend to be a descendant…?"

"How d'you think these guys got permission to put it on the Internet in the first place?"

"Ah. Touché."

I shrugged. "It happens, I guess."

"I suppose so."

The rest of the movie was uneventful, except for when Walter got angry with Mary-Jane for not recognizing Peter's voice. It was priceless.

Bill and Shaun were back after the movie. They had made contact with a few other Assassins and that's why they'd taken so damn long. After we were finished eating, we all gathered in the back of the van.

"I-I don't believe this!" Rebecca exclaimed.

"What?" Bill asked, placing Ezio's Apple on the table in the van.

"Desmond's vitals are lighting up like fireworks!" Rebecca typed some things quickly. "I'll need to run a few scans to see what's going on…"

A few minutes later, we stood tense in front of Desmond. Eventually, his vitals stabilized, and slowly—very slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Son?" Bill asked. "Desmond, do you recognize me?"

Desmond's eyes went in and out of focus, but he finally gave Bill a look that told him he did. Desmond pulled his arm free of the Animus scanner and examined it. A light blue glow made its way across his arm as he did, and then he looked at the Apple.

"I know what we need to do," he said.

Bill turned around and opened the doors of the van. From it, we could see a cave. We were at the coordinates that Ezio and Leonardo had provided when Ezio hid the Apple.

Desmond looked around at us. "Um… who's that?" He was looking at Walter.

"Long story," I told him.

"And why're you sharing a scarf?"

I hastily got out of it, blushing scarlet. "That's none of your business!"

"Sam's former lover came back from the dead," Rebecca said bluntly.

Desmond's eyes widened. "Michael?"

"Walter," Shaun said. "Walter Hugh."

"Thanks guys. I'll make sure you know all of my personal secrets so you can give those away," I grumbled.

"We _know_ all your secrets," Bill sighed.

"Nope. Not all."

Desmond got out of the Animus and stretched. "How long was I out?"

"Not long, but we're in America now. Managed to get your butt outta Rome," Rebecca said. "You should probably go for a run though. You were a petrified nut for a while, so it'd be good to get some exercise."

Desmond nodded. "I'll do that. Just gimme a sec. I want to make sure I don't fall."

I patted Desmond's shoulder. "I'll make sure you won't, Des."

And now, everything was falling into place. Everything was about to end.

One way or another.

_**"Life beings at the end of your comfort zone." –Neale Donald Walsch **_

_**To Be Continued…**_


	32. Author's Notes

Author's Notes

Frankly, I'm taking a bit of a breather. I didn't update every day, but it's okay because I've been very, very busy. Finals, home stuff, etc… I'm a busy kid. I'm actually relieved that writing this is over, since I'd stressed about it for forever, making sure the lore was correct, not changing anything to a point where I'd have to barricade my house from angry readers, and trying to adapt to whatever I was given. Ubisoft is gonna be the death of me, I swear. First, let's get some themes over with:

_**Story Theme: Shadows of Angels — Immediate Music**_

__I've decided that I'm only going to put the song I listened to the most for the themes. It'll fit with the story and the various places it takes us. Or you, at least, since _you're_ reading.

I've set up a poll to give you all a choice as to what you would like to see me write next. I've actually almost finished writing _inFAMOUS 3.5: Festival of Blood_, so I'll post all of the chapters up at the same time. It should literally be up tonight or sometime this week. As for the poll, you've got three choices:

_**Star Wars: Ascendance**_

_** The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim**_

_** Infamous 6: The Vicious**_

The latter is currently in the lead with two votes. I'll leave the poll open until Tuesday, since that'll give me time to work on whatever you've chosen, and I can probably post the prologue of whatever was chosen on Wednesday.

I realize that _Bladesong_ took about four months, and so I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy St. Patrick's Day, and well-wishes on whatever other holidays happened while I was writing this. I have a _huge_ pet-peeve about writing things in the middle of a chapter, so I'll usually leave it 'til the end.

The third instalment in my _Assassin's Creed_ series is going to be uploaded onto as soon as _Assassin's Creed III_ comes out. So, expect the last of Suna's stories to come sometime in early November. I've already got it planned out, but it'll obviously need some adjustments for when _Assassin's Creed III_ comes out, because I'm not sure what the end of Desmond's series will bring. We'll have to see.

Also, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, especially _**ShadowJ95**_, _**AnimeWolfAlienRaptor4**_, _**Dragoneye 2012**_, _**RavingSunshine**_, and _**Lupus7**_ (for letting me know about the mix-up chapter incident). Everyone else, thanks for sticking with the series, and thanks for following me from my _inFAMOUS_ stuff. This has really helped me gain some confidence as a writer, and I can see how I've improved because of your suggestions. Thanks again, and I hope to see you reviewing and reading my newest stuff.


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